Tag: sing

God Time with Children #1

Help for parents, grandparents, elementary school teachers, and more to talk to kids about God, His Word, and the Gospel message.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14.

What Does God Say About Children?

A small team of ours at present goes into the public schools for an Afterschool Good News Club.

A little kindergartener came into the room and the first words out of her mouth were, “I love God!”

Spending time with children is healthy and good for us all. We watch their joy, confidence, and curiosity. It makes us happy. It’s as if they sense God loves them before anyone tells them. The Bible tells us,

We all need to become like children and believe in God’s love. If you’re a child, be thankful to God! All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace on your children Isaiah 54:13.

Young children and old alike learn and know well one particular song by the time they’re 2. Can you guess what that song might be?

Yes, “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.”

Take a minute and sing this favorite song. Think of these words. Do you believe this is true?

To believe takes faith. Children have faith from an early age.

Jesus spoke of children and their faith in the Bible,

Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them.  Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.  So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven Matthew 18:1-3.

I want to enter the kingdom of heaven, do you? We must be as a child. Why does Jesus say this? And what does this mean?

Because children believe Jesus loves them. This they know. The Bible tells them so! Children have faith. They believe in God. And they love to sing, Jesus loves me! These elementary things are the foundation that keeps our “house” steady and secure.

Here is something God wants us to know about children:

“Children are a gift from the Lord;
    they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man
    are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.
 How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!
    He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates” Psalm 127: 3-5.

This is God’s Word. Parents and children are encouraged by it. Children are important. To God, especially!

It’s good to look in the Bible to find out what God says about something. God’s Word might be quite different from the attitudes and opinions of others.

Let’s continue to sing the old favorite song:  “Little ones to Him belong. They are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me.”

Do you and I believe this? We know we are weak at times, but do we believe God is strong?

This makes me think about another foundational favorite “little kids” song: “My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do. For you!”

We should never outgrow needing to think about how great and strong our God is. As adults, our troubles and trials become so large we forget God.

God is strong and mighty, He is God the Creator of the world and everything in it. He is Spirit. He’s everywhere at every minute of the day.

 Faith is believing in God. He is and can do impossible things, the Bible tells us so.  

I faced a very scary and life-threatening sickness, and God reminded me, that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith.

Yes, to believe God is faith. I asked everyone I knew to pray. We asked the mighty and powerful God to heal me completely, in Jesus’ name. It wasn’t overnight, but He did impossible things. He guided me in His word, He directed me, and He healed me!

Jesus loves us, and this we must know. The Bible will help us grow. It’s God’s love letter of hope and rescue for all His children, young and old.

Ella sang this for me. I think it’s a great way to end our 1st God talk. And I added Created to praise Him as well.

It reminds us, we are His special creation. Knit in our mother’s womb, created to praise Him. We are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Happiness and joy are being like a child to know that very well!

See you next time.

SONG: My God is so Big.

My God is So Big Toni & Kids Acoustic Bible Songs
Created to Praise Him: Toni & Kids Sing Bible

Praise + Prayer = Faith to Conquer Any Foe

Hebrews 11:6 & Isaiah 55:6-9.

Most days, I wake up with praise to God on my lips, but as the evening comes, I often am tempted to grow weary and discouraged.

When I say, “praise on my lips,” this means a “thank You” song or a psalm, hymn, or God’s Word on my mind, instead of situations, lack, or loss.

But when my body grows fatigued, my mind begins to dwell on the happenings of this world and life circumstances, faith flies away like a bird disrupted by a loud noise.

How we need reminders of good things and words of direction and help. God’s Word is our safe place to run. I often have kid’s voices in the back of my mind, singing the Bible songs God gave me, to help me throughout my day:

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him Hebrews 11:6, NIV.

In the Book of 2 Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah became informed of a huge army coming against them. Circumstances hit us like this.

Jehoshaphat . . . prayed to the Lord. He sought the Lord for His instruction, just as in Isaiah 55:6: 8&9:

Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call on him while he is near Isaiah 55:6.

Jehoshaphat gathered the people. Then, he proclaimed a fast for all of Judah (2 Chronicles 20:3).  

Then Jehoshaphat stood up . . . at the temple of the Lord . . . and he prayed with all the people:

“Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations.

Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you . . .

If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us” (2 Chronicles 20: 6-9).

We must, I must do the same. I must remind myself of who God is and cry out to Him in faith. The time is now.

 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel . . . as he stood in the assembly.

 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you:

‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 

God’s Word reminds us of truth, when we often believe we must work it out with our own thoughts, as the kids sing the verses:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,
declares the Lord.
 As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts Isaiah 55:6,8-9.

 Tomorrow march down against them . . .

You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem.

Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’”

 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord” (2 Chronicles 20: 17-19).

 Early in the morning . . . Jehoshaphat stood and said,

“Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem!

Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” 

 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
    for his love endures forever.”

 As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated” (2 Chronicles 20:20-22).

The battle you and I face today is not our battle. It’s the Lord’s battle.

Let’s continue to infuse our minds and spirit with God’s truth. May kids from Toni & Kids Sing Bible restore faith, bring joy, and help us keep a song of truth in our hearts and minds today:

Thank you Irelyn and Noel for singing!

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him Hebrews 11:6, NIV.

Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call on him while he is near.

 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,
declares the Lord.
 As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts Isaiah 55:6,8-9.

Need joy? God Knows What we Need. Put yourself in God’s presence with Psalm 95:

It was a day, years ago, touched by the ever-living power of the Word of God, Psalm 95 had me pick up a pen and my slightly twangy guitar to put down a song.

The Lord put the gospel message on my heart as I meditated on His exhortation, “Come let us worship and bow down.

“Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker” Psalm 95:6.

We all are created by God. And His greatest gift to us, He lets us decide whether to believe or not.

He desires we all “talk to Him,” seek His Word and spend time with Him. His love is so great. He is love.

Love came down.

Joy? It’s a gift of His Holy Spirit. When we turn our hearts to Him and call on Him (for who He is, the Savior of the world), we receive (His) love. His Spirit comes and washes our sins. He makes us a new creation, today, in Him.

God the Father gives us His love through His Son who paid our debt in full and gave us His Spirit as a guarantee.

We bow down, He turns the “light on” in our souls. He breathes in us His breath of life. We become whole, filled with joy.

And we must not forget, peace. Jesus takes all our garbage and sin and gives us new birth.

“In Christ,” we become new creations. Born a second time into life, here and now, and for all eternity.

His Spirit calls . . .

“Come, let us worship.”

Talk to the Lord, not half-hearted but with all your heart.

Is it time to make Him your God, who lives and dwells with you?

Let us worship and bow down before the Lord our Maker: Psalm 95

A Call to Worship and Obedience

Psalm 95 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
3 For the Lord is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.
4 In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the hills are His also.
5 The sea is His, for He made it;
And His hands formed the dry land.

6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7 For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand.

Today, if you will hear His voice:
8 “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion,
As in the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 When your fathers tested Me;
They tried Me, though they saw My work.
10 For forty years I was grieved with that generation,
And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts,
And they do not know My ways.’
11 So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”

Make today, your day of salvation. Enter into the “joy” of the Lord!

And make sure you tell someone about your new-birth in Christ.

Who needs a moment of music therapy today? This is for you:

Before Covid, to help my own healing, I would walk into the nursing home and on occasion, the infusion room with the guitar and simply start to sing and recite scripture. There was nothing amazing about any of it, except the Lord would show up and His Spirit would revive us all.

This is for you, in need of comfort through the pain: (Cover The Joy of the Lord is my Strength by Twila Paris).

Music Therapy cover: The Joy of the Lord by Twila Paris

There is someone crying out to the Lord for mercy today.

Someone is hurting physically, feeling alone, and not sure about what to do next.

Someone has been harmed by others and is left in pain, isolated, and presently feels abandoned.

Are you far from home and feel displaced?

I share music therapy today with you in hopes the vibration of strings lifts your heart and mind to praise God and draw near to Him, as He then promises to be near to you (James 4:8).

Jesus came to reconcile us to the Father and has “put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, a guarantee” when we open our hearts to Him (2 Corinthian 1:22).

In this world of perfect sound and production, we don’t have the opportunity to experience the simplicity of six strings and a moment of therapy with raw vocals with the sole purpose to comfort and refresh.

May you experience the “joy of the Lord” as your strength today.

– Toni

If you have received comfort from the Lord today, let me or someone know. If today is the day you opened your heart to receive the love of Jesus and accept His free gift of salvation that He gave on the cross, tell your whole world. Tell everyone, the angels in heaven are celebrating today your new-birth-day!

The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing” Zephaniah 3:17.

Satan Trembles Before the Spirit’s Might!

“Lo Satan trembles and gives place

Before the Spirit’s might!

The power of reconcilable grace

Puts all his demons to flight.

His kingdom falls, and his spells and charms

By Jesus are o’erthrown,

The Spirit wields victorious arms,

And holds the field alone.

– Author Unknown

God is on the throne. Yesterday, today, and forever:

“Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.  Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.  And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank” Acts 9: 1-9, emphasis mine.

GOD is on the throne.

This Saul, who breathed out threats and set out to destroy “believer’s in Christ” was met by none other than Jesus Himself.

“O Spirit of the Lord, prepare
All the round earth her God to meet;
Breathe thou abroad like morning air,
Till hearts of stone begin to beat.

Baptize the nations; far and nigh
The triumphs of the cross record;
The Name of Jesus glorify,
Till every kindred call him Lord” (Original Trinity Hymnal, #253, Mendon).

“Dear Lord, give us more and more grace to “trust You more.” You alone are worthy. You alone are able. We believe. Help our unbelief! In Jesus’ name, amen.”

A 1737 Hymn turns me around every time. “Give to the winds thy fears;”

1. Give to the winds thy fears;
hope and be undismayed.
God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears,
God shall lift up thy head.

2. Through waves and clouds and storms,
God gently clears the way;
wait thou God’s time; so shall this night
soon end in joyous day.

3. Leave to God’s sovereign sway
to choose and to command;
so shalt thou, wondering, own that way,
how wise, how strong this hand.

4. Let us in life, in death,
thy steadfast truth declare,
and publish with our latest breath
thy love and guardian care.
Paul Gerbhardt, translated by John Wesley, 1737).

“Hope and be undismayed . . . ”

These are times of great trouble. Persecuted Christians are imprisoned, there are economic struggles, deceptive governments, struggles in the church, physical illnesses, and losses of great magnitude, etc.

I wrote this first paragraph many years ago. But, it fits today.

What great comfort to know, God is the same. God’s Word never changes.

I feel as if, in life, I play a one-stringed guitar.

God’s Word tells us, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).

This is my one-stringed theme in life. So, when my heart is out of tune, most likely there is no song around. A good-themed melody is a therapy for the heart and mind.

I share this old hymn from long ago, and want to encourage you to join me to put some voice on the words and speak these faith sounds to revive worn-out souls:

“Give to the winds thy fears; hope and be undismayed; God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears, God shall lift up thy head.”
“Through waves and clouds and storms, He gently clears thy way; Wait thou His time; So shall this night soon end in joyous day.”

The second stanza reminds me God is big when trials seem to build. Nothing is impossible with Him. I can trust Him. You can trust Him. We can trust God.

When we choose to believe and follow the Lord, He will faithfully lead us:

Leave to God’s sovereign sway
to choose and to command;
so shalt thou, wondering, own that way,
how wise, how strong this hand.

Have you given your life to the One who gave His own? Jesus paid it all. All our debt in full. Is today your day to rest in His strong, sovereign hand?

There is no death in Christ! To rest in His love is eternal love and life forever with Him.

Let us in life, in death,
thy steadfast truth declare,
and publish with our latest breath
thy love and guardian care.

We must rest in His Word and truth:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27.

If you feel the Lord tugging on your heart to pray, then talk to Him now. Salvation in Jesus is only a prayer away. Ask Him in your life.

He comes in and cleanses and makes new all the garbage and junk and debt of sin. We all have sin. We all need a Savior. Is today the day?

If you have the Lord and feel burdened and heavy on this day, talk to the Lord,

Through waves and clouds and storms,
God gently clears the way;
wait thou God’s time; so shall this night
soon end in joyous day.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor” Isaiah 61:1-3.

Are you changed today? For salvation or revived hope to persevere? Talk to someone about it!

God bless each of us today. How we need Jesus. In His name, we pray. Amen.

When in doubt, pray. When you can’t, praise. Wings as eagles will lift your weary soul to faith, hope, and love.

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” Luke 18:1.

Billy Graham. PRAY.

Perhaps, this is one of the greatest teachings of Billy Graham for this dark hour we live. This old picture speaks to me to “be still.” To hear God’s voice immediately changes me from fret and fear to faith.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth” Psalm 46:10.

The surrender to agree, at such a time as this, yields hope in me. This picture speaks the glory of surrender in me.

tonirypkema.com

Yes, I will be still. I will pray and cry aloud. I will hope in God who is able, I will seek His face. Join me to read aloud the transforming hope and light of God’s Word:

One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
 For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be exalted
    above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
    I will sing and make music to the Lord.

 Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger;
    you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
    God my Savior.


Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will receive me.


Teach me your way, Lord;
    lead me in a straight path
    because of my oppressors.
 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.

 I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord Psalm 27:4-14.

Our eyes look up, our ears are eager to HEAR Your voice.

Speak Lord, your servants hear. As Habakkuk in his day with questions, “Where are You, Lord,” we will pray and hear:

“I will stand my watch
And set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say to me,
And what I will answer when I am corrected” Habakkuk 2:1, NKJV.

Then the Lord answered me and said:

“Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
 For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry.

 “Behold the proud,
His soul is not upright in him;
But the just shall live by his faith Habakkuk 2:2-4.

“Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman?
    Or an image that teaches lies?
For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;
    he makes idols that cannot speak.
 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’
    Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’
Can it give guidance?
    It is covered with gold and silver;
    there is no breath in it.”

 The Lord is in his holy temple;
    let all the earth be silent before him” Habakkuk 2:18-20.

picture by Pete Fierro


“But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint” Isaiah 40:31.

Dear God, help us walk in a manner that fully pleases You. Keep us praising You in the spirit. This is where we find You close by, in a heart of praise.

This is my Bible song of encouragement today, as I ask the Lord to fill me with His great love and grace in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation:

“Being confident of this very thing that He who has begun a good work in you will perform it . . . Philippians 1:6. For He who is in you is greater than he that is in the world 1 John 4:4.

Watercolor by G of Legacy Studio & Co.

Just keep praying and singing. God’s in control.

If you are encouraged today, let me know!

Rain Down on us Good Words for some Son-shine!

Art by G of Legacy Studio & Co

Art by G of Legacy Studio & Co

“Anxiety in a person’s heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad” Proverbs 12:25.

Oh yeah, good words make a person’s heart glad.

God knows best. His Word is a rock. His Word is a rose. His Word to those who believe and receive Him is as a Coach, coming alongside,

to give a high-five. To say, “Come on, you can do this with Me. Let’s go!”

And God’s Word to a kid’s song is “just” plain fun and can move us forward when we feel stuck!

I wrote this song with a special needs child I had the privilege to teach and work with for many years. A few strums of the ukulele and a few Bible verses to focus on would be our delight for many days together.

For this combination of Philippians 1:6 and 1 John 4:4 we were “changed.”

God’s Word is powerful and can be loads of fun with a ukulele or a guitar. And God gave every human being alive a set of “strings.” So, even if you’re not a kid, find one and start singing some Bible, to increase in faith,

or come to faith for the first time. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” Romans 10:17.

There is only one answer to the dark day we live in, Jesus.

He alone is able to change a heart. His Word is powerful and opens a door of faith in us to hear and receive.

An open, soft heart, is suddenly changed to belief. There is hope as the sun shines through the clouds.

Because faith chases away fear. God loves you. God loves me.

He is there for any who calls on His name. God is able to accomplish all that concerns you today. He is God Almighty.

And, He is love, (1 John 4:7-21*)

He paid your debt in full on the cross. And mine, and the debt of sin of the entire human race.

We can’t save ourselves. (We all need saving.) (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23. )

Jesus came to save us and to finish the work He has for us. He gives us His Holy Spirit when we receive Him. He is our help. We can be confident in this.

I share this today with anyone who needs a song of truth and hope in Jesus to help chase the dark clouds away and bring a ray of Son-shine, (no matter what is going on!)

If you haven’t opened your heart to Jesus, do it today:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.  

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 

 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.  So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. 

God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 
 
We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother 1 John 4: 7-21.

(My song words are slightly paraphrased,) “Being confident of this very thing that he who has begun a good work in you will perform it ’till the day of Jesus Christ” Philippians 1:6.

Being confident in this.

“For He who is in you is greater than he that is in the world.”

“For He who is in you is greater than he that is in the world” 1 John 4:4. (I’m just waiting to record some happy kids with this song.)

Let me know if you are blessed. And “like” the SoundCloud too if you do!

-Toni

News Alert: IT’s NOT Love to Applaud God’s Beloved Creation Who Walks on a Failed Bridge!

It is NOT love when a believer in the LORD applauds God’s beloved creation who walks on a failed bridge.

Love is to proclaim, “TURN AROUND!”

In a day where words are re-invented, God’s Word tells us what love is:

“This is LOVE. Not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to take away our sins” 1 John 4:10, (emphasis mine).

Noah, in his day, proclaimed “A storm is coming. You need to come in through this Door or destruction will come!”

NO ONE listened.

The Bible tells us, in the last days, it will be like Noah’s day.

Aren’t you glad Noah had faith in God and obeyed His Word?

The Book of Proverbs gives a warning: “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death” Proverbs 14:12.

We should not be offended by warnings of danger. We receive them daily about germs, safety, and caution during a storm. It’s time we all turn around and agree with God. 

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 
All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 
I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. 
They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 
 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; 
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full"John 10: 7-10.

This is love: Jesus.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” John 10:11. 

"As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man" Matthew 24: 37-39.

Do you need to turn around?

The time is now. Jesus is coming soon!”

“Make me sing!” Kids can help!

As a children’s worship leader for many years, I’ve experienced the arms crossed, “Make me sing,” attitude at the start of a children’s church hour.

Oh, yeah. Children are our best teachers. They are a picture of our own hearts at times.

“It’s not a good time to sing,” we convince ourselves, “there’s too much to worry, I mean, be concerned about right now!”

God is good to keep me in a place to keep a song in the hearts of kids. He knows, this “older kid” needs to keep a “good song” on my mind at all times. I can go out of tune mighty quick.

The Lord tells us to pray and not lose heart. But there are times we would rather cross our arms in the front of our chest than pray!

Jesus helped us with our prayers by giving us, what we call, the Lord’s Prayer.

I wrote a Lord’s prayer with a bit of a Lalala of the struggle to keep praising in my Lalala Lord’s Prayer. Kids sing this and make my heart pray and hope and remember the “Lalala” through the “dum dum dum” of the day!

Who’s struggling to find the song today? Give these kids a 2-minute listen. To meditate on the deep truths in the Lord’s prayer brings healing and hope.

Let me know if you did. I hope you have a hope-filled prayer song on your heart for the day:

We are being fed our daily bread, singin’ “lalalalala la!”

Children are Gifts from God for Strength and Courage. Let’s Agree with God Today

When human beings are in a dangerous place where a young child is present, most gather strength and courage to protect and do “whatever” has to happen to find a “safe place.”

Children are a gift to the human race.

“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him” Psalm 127:3.

Gifts.

I’ll speak for myself, my children helped show me I didn’t have patience on unending nights of crying when they were sick or huge messes too gross to write about.

And the hardest part of all, when siblings argued and fought! My children brought me closer to God than I could ever be before.

My children helped me mature and “act” as a grown-up because I had no choice, I was the grown-up!

Yes, children are our help to see our personal need for the Savior of our world. Children bring us to God, our Father, to see Jesus’ great sacrifice for us, and call out for the Holy Spirit to help us, guide us, to fill us with His love.

Children are our gift to realize, that without the Lord, there is no power to love!

Even with the Lord, I struggled at times to find love. I wasn’t a perfect parent, but I always tried to say, “I’m sorry. I was wrong.” And made effort to share–Jesus is perfect love.

God’s Word is our comfort and instruction guide. He never changes. He is faithful always.

“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ ”Matthew 19:14.

The kingdom of heaven belongs to the little children. They are our gift to help bring back the “child” in us. We need the children.

God says, “suffer” the little children, or “let, allow” the little children.

Take a moment to “hear” this child sing God’s Word:

Created to Praise Him, by Toni Rypkema with Logan

Pray for children. They are every adult on this planet’s, gift. What the world needs now is to agree with God in our hearts about children.

“Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always so that it might go well with them and their children forever!”Deuteronomy 5:29.

“Dear Lord, pour out Your Spirit upon this world and give all people ears to hear the children sing praises to You.

His Eye Is on the Sparrow, I Must Know

Today I share an old pizza note as comfort and hope to any who chooses to “bite into” its goodness:

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_6784-scaled.jpg
And, resting on His goodness, I lose my doubt and fears, (His Eye Is on the Sparrow, (Songwriters: Gene Bartlett / Charles Gabriel / C.D. Martin).

God sees. God knows.

We. Need. To know. The “One Who” can do all things, especially—to love me. Unconditionally. Right now!

Immediately.

When I think of the trials humans across the world face today, especially the children, . . . we need to remember “Love.”

Oh, how we forget and wander off from this love of God. We forget, “God doesn’t see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

God looks at my heart. But, my heart “ain’t pretty” on the inside, if I’m honest. God knows the thoughts I have and the words I think before I speak them! Psalm 139 tells me about this.

But God. Yes, He sees. He knows I need Him.

He knows we all need Him.

I’ve received His love for salvation. Many years ago, I received Jesus in my life, but I still live in this body of flesh. In this world, life is broken and the sharp edges of “flesh” HURT!

Jesus Himself told us we would face “tribulation,” but to be of “good cheer” because He has “overcome the world.” (John 16:33.)

God’s Word is a “present help in times of trouble” to those who believe, initially for salvation, and step by step through the thorns of life.

God’s Word, is breathed and inspired by “Love” Himself, (because God is love, 1 John 4:8). He never changes. He loves through the ages!

Do I trust in Christ?

My path may be cluttered with lots of directions, opinions, ideas, hurts, and rough edges. Everybody’s path is.

We must know Him more:

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me

Why should I feel discouraged,
Why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely,
And long for heaven, heaven, and home,


When, when Jesus is my portion,
My constant Friend is He;
Oh, oh-oh, his eye is on the sparrow.

And I know, I know He watches over me.

This is how I can have inner joy. When I see His face and grace over me in each present moment:

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” Psalm 16:11.

God brings my song back! He’s with me, loves me, and won’t give up on me, no matter what:
I sing because I’m happy. I sing because I’m free (free free free)

For His eye, his eye is on the sparrow,
And I know, I know He watches over me.

When Jesus is my portion. My constant Friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. (Songwriters: Gene Bartlett / Charles Gabriel / C.D. Martin.)

Do I believe this? Am I His?

Has He sealed me with His Holy Spirit?

Yes, I believe!

Talk to God and let Him in, too.

But now, this is what the Lord says—
    he who created you, Jacob,
    he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.
 For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; . . .

Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
    I will bring your children from the east
    and gather you from the west Isaiah 43:1-5.

Yes, I believe. His eye is on this sparrow.


I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

“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.

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.”

This is how I “know” Love. By drawing near to Him and believing His eye is on me. On you. On all the children who cry out to Him.

Let the children who believe in Jesus sing:

I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me!

Faith First Then Comes Peace “Increase Our Faith, Lord!”

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ our Lord” 2Peter1:2.  

Today, how do we have peace? Multiplied measures of peace? Yes, this is what the human soul seeks—peace of mind.

It’s a focus of the heart issue.

God gives every human room to choose Him or not. First, in faith to believe what He says in His Word, to receive His saving grace of salvation, and then . . .

to follow Him, step by step, day by day, growing in knowledge and grace of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Faith comes first, then comes refreshing revelations, transformations, and peace.

This is not a works thing. God’s Word is plain:

 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast” Ephesians 2:8,9.

Peace is a result of believing God above all else, in any and all circumstances—with focus on Him:

“Seek the Lord while he may be found;

call upon him while he is near;

  let the wicked forsake his way,

and the unrighteous man his thoughts;

let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

   For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts” Isaiah 55:6-9.

Where is our heart’s focus today?

“When you set your eyes on wealth, it is [suddenly] gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies to the heavens” Proverbs 23:5.

Our faith can fly and disappear as well when we forget to focus on the Lord and walk with Him, in (faith) of Him, thankful for Him!

“Increase our faith, Lord!” This is our cry today.

God desires we turn to Him, daily, moment by moment. To receive His love, know Him, more and more.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled” Matthew 5:6.

Who doesn’t want to be filled? Who chooses to be empty? God is here:

“Be still, and know that I am God,” Psalm 46:10 reassures,  “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth“

 “Heaven is My throne, And earth is my footstool . . . But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word” Isaiah 66:1,2.   

“Give ear and come to me;
    listen, that you may live . . . Isaiah 55:3.  

 “ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” 2Timothy 1:7.

We must ask ourselves, “Do I have this spirit God gives? Not of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind?”

We need God’s Holy Spirit!

“So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” Romans 10:17. 

Jesus told a man who called Him, “Good Teacher,”

 “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God” Mark 10:18. 

Today, can we hear Jesus’ words? Only God is good!

“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility” Ephesians 2:14. 

No matter the circumstance on this terrestrial earth, a heart turned to the true and living God can take joy in all He is always,

because He alone is 

“able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 

to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” Ephesians 3:20,21. 

“Dear Jesus, I believe in You. Help me grow in grace and knowledge of You. Fill me overflowing with Your Spirit that I might have peace. Help my unbelief!” In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s take a minute to let a few kids remind us about faith today to help keep us focused on His Word with a melody. This is a remedy for peace for today:

Irelyn & Noel sing the Fatih Song on Bible Songs Alive 1

When I doubt, “Where is God?” I turn to old hymns to remind me, “He’s right here.”

An old hymn at the bottom of my C.H. Spurgeon Devotional Bible caught my eye today,

When trouble like a gloomy cloud,
Has gathered thick and thundered loud,
He near my soul has always stood,
His loving-kindness, oh, how good!

Though num’rous hosts of mighty foes,
Though earth and hell my way oppose,
He safely leads my soul along,
His loving-kindness, oh, how strong!

Awake, my soul, to joyful lays,
And sing thy great Redeemer’s praise;
He justly claims a song for me,
His loving-kindness, oh, how free!

In the late 1780s, Samuel Medley wrote this hymn originally called, Awake My Soul, to Joyful Lays in 1782, later titled Loving-Kindness.

Today I find these old phrases turn my gloomy thoughts to hope in God, without even knowing the melody.

The words speak faith. My heart is hungry to receive its truth. This is eternal life for the present moment, not some future day. Eternal life is to know Jesus and His present love here and now.

When we base all our hope and trust on what we can see, our hearts fail us and we become discouraged and in despair, but God . . .

He reminds us, not one time, not two, but four times: “The just shall live by faith.”

Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38 each remind us, “the just shall live by faith!”

Faith is believing God. Period. But how can we believe God if we don’t know Him or listen to His voice?

Where is truth today? Who can we trust?

The Bible tells us:

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Numbers 23:19.

We have to know, today, what God has said. It’s no longer a day for “hear-say” about God. We’ve got to open the Bible for ourselves and discover Him.

A tiny letter, an epistle in the Bible inspired by the Holy Spirit written by Paul the Apostle called Titus, opens rich and loaded with substance to chew on concerning God, His Word, and faith:

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ,

for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, 

which accords with godliness, 

in hope of eternal life,

which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began

and at the proper time manifested in his word

 through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior; Titus 1:1-3.

Do these words give me an appetite to read more of what God has to say in His Word? As the hymn that caught my eye?

To fix my eyes on God’s Word and a God song, I must! We must!

“For the sake of the faith . . . and their knowledge of the truth, . . . in the hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised!”(Exclamation point, mine).

The old hymn puts God’s promise in a summary of what Jesus did for us:

He saw me ruined in the fall,
Yet loved me notwithstanding all;
He saved me from my lost estate,
His loving-kindness, oh, how great!

Jesus says in the gospels, “Follow me.”

Do I choose to follow Him? Today?

The Bible tells us, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be SAVED through Him” (John 3:17).

Do we receive Jesus’ love and forgiveness? Do I forgive myself? Can I speak back the hymn in praise to God:

He saw me ruined in the fall,
Yet loved me notwithstanding all;
He saved me from my lost estate,
His loving-kindness, oh, how great!

No matter what is going on around, can you and I look up and agree, “His loving-kindness, Oh, how great!”

And can we trust the “death of death” for you and me who believe?

Yes, let’s take comfort in the hymn, with understanding in the life we live, eternally:

Soon I shall pass the gloomy vale,
Soon all my mortal pow’rs must fail;
Oh, may my last expiring breath
His loving-kindness sing in death.

Then let me mount and soar away
To the bright world of endless day;
And sing with raptures and surprise,
His loving-kindness in the skies.
Loving-kindness, loving-kindness,
His loving-kindness in the skies.

His loving-kindness is never-ending. I share Ella and Irelyn in “Lord, I’m in Your Hands,” by Tim Weeks:

Jesus never leaves us. No matter where we are, we can call His name.

Help Me Remember You, LORD

Jesus told us in His Word we would face trouble in the last days. He told us beforehand so we won’t be caught off guard.

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” John 16:33.

Do we remember what else the Lord told us? Three hundred sixty-five times in the Bible, God says, “Don’t be afraid!”

God’s Word is living. It speaks to our souls when we open our hearts to the Lord to speak to us personally. Listen to His voice:

But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
 For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; Isaiah 43:1-3

God doesn’t condemn us, He gave us a Redeemer. He gave us His only Son, Jesus who stretched out His arms wide on the cross to take our failures of sin.

He offers His salvation to anyone who will believe. He is God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior . . . ?

Yes? Let today be the day of salvation for you. You then will hear Him say, “You are Mine, I have called you by your name.”

And, today, even with great trial and sorrow, you can sing:

“Lord, I’m in Your hand. Lord, I’m in Your heart. In Your thoughts, in Your plans, never on my own.

Lord, I’m in Your hands. Lord, I’m in Your heart. In Your thoughts, in Your plans, never left alone.

When the darkness closes in and fear begins to rise, help me to remember You’re always by my side.

When the darkness closes in and fear begins to rise, help me to remember, You’re always by my side.”

Thank you Ella & Irelyn and Tim Weeks for your awesome song!
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