Life Is Tough For Anyone

It is Sunday again and time for a Christian message.
It is not my purpose here to make it sound as though I have or have had it worse than any other. I know I am blessed. But I have faced some circumstances, whether brought on by my own bad choices or fate, that I have been frustrated with life.

I remember a line from a sermon from some 20 years ago, "Morning always comes." The preacher was referring to the crucifixion of Christ but the same can go for the trials we face. Life is tough for anyone. The best of advice as we go through those times: Just hold on!

Song: Through the Fire
Artist: Randy Travis (with the Crabb Family)
Album: Glory Train

So many times I’ve questioned certain circumstances
Or things I could not understand
Many times in trials, weakness blurs my vision
And my frustrations get so out of hand
It’s then I am reminded I’ve never been forsaken
I’ve never had to stand the test alone
As I look at all the victories, the Spirit rises up in me
It’s through the fire my weakness is made strong

And He never promised the cross would not get heavy and the hill would not be hard to climb
He never offered victory without fighting but He said help would always come in time
Just remember when you’re standing in the valley of decision and the adversary says give in
Just hold on, our Lord will show up and He will take you through the fire again

I know within myself that I would surely perish
But if I trust the hand of God, He’ll shield the flames again

And He never promised the cross would not get heavy and the hill would not be hard to climb
Just hold on, our Lord will show up and He will take you through the fire again
Just hold on, our Lord will show up and He will take you through the fire again

To Make It A Good Christmas

What is your Christmas story? What do you remember most about past Christmases? Today's song reminds me it is NOT about presents.

The thing I remember most about Christmases past is that there was always laughter, caroling, playing, family and pictures. My maternal grandparents hosted the celebration while we grandkids were all young but by the mid 1960's the tradition moved to my parents' house until they moved from there about 4 years ago. When we were young, my mother's sister and family would join us for a couple days or so. Charles, Romadene, Denalyn, Pam, and Eric all came. I only got to see those cousins a couple of times or so a year but I love them dearly to this day.

A CHRISTMAS STORY
You know why this 1983 movie is a classic? It is all our stories! I can't really remember any specific gift except that I am reminded of it by a photograph from the day. I think I did get a BB gun one Christmas...mom told me to be careful not to shoot my eye out. Mine was a Daisy brand, however. And I actually have had my tongue get stuck on cold metal before, although it was galvanized fence rail. And my friend, Royce Stalter, has a leg lamp in his living room!

To make it a good Christmas make it about people. Christmas is not about presents. It is about getting together with family and friends, stories, food, and celebration. There will be more time to talk about the reason for the season in a later blog.

Song: It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
Artist: Andy Williams
Album: The Andy Williams Christmas Album

It's the most wonderful time of the year
With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you "Be of good cheer"

It's the most wonderful time of the year
It's the hap-happiest season of all
With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings
When friends come to call It's the hap- happiest season of all

There'll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow
There'll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago

It's the most wonderful time of the year
There'll be much mistltoeing
And hearts will be glowing
When love ones are near
It's the most wonderful time of the year

There'll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow
There'll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago

It's the most wonderful time of the year
There'll be much mistltoeing
And hearts will be glowing
When love ones are near
It's the most wonderful time

It's the most wonderful time
It's the most wonderful time
It's the most wonderful time of the year

Thankgiving Song 2008

The United States of America. Just this week Debbie mentioned how lucky she felt to have been born to her parents, in this country, at the time in our history she was. When you see all the countries in which one could have been born we are extremely blessed.

I love songs about our country and on holidays will share them with you.

On this Thanksgiving celebrate AMERICA!

Song:The House I Live In (That's America to Me)
Artist: Frank Sinatra
Album: The Essential Frank Sinatra (the Columbia years)

What is America to me
A name, a map, or a flag I see
A certain word, democracy
What is America to me

The house I live in
A plot of earth, the street
The grocer and the butcher
Or the people that I meet
The children in the playground
The faces that I see
All races and religions
That's America to me

The place I work in
The worker by my side
The little town the city
Where my people lived and died
The howdy and the handshake
The air a feeling free
And the right to speak your mind out
That's America to me

The things I see about me
The big things and the small
That little corner newsstand
Or the house a mile tall
The wedding and the churchyard
The laughter and the tears
The dream that's been a growing
For more than two hundred years

The town I live in
The street, the house, the room
The pavement of the city
Or a garden all in bloom
The church the school the clubhouse
The millions lights I see
Especially the people
That's America to me

A Work in Process

You know what a squirt is? A Drip under pressure. However, coal under pressure becomes a diamond.

Pressure and stress can do a lot of things to a person. None of us will get through life without stress and testings in a lot of ways.
The question is how we handle it.

A favorite Bible story of mine is when Moses was about to free the people of Israel from their bondage in Egypt. God was attempting to get Pharoah's attention with all the miracles. He had done the same earlier with Moses. Each of them responded differently. One's heart was softened and accepted God's will in his life. The other hardened his heart against the will of God. Same God - two different responses.

I got a long way to go - a work in process. I just know I want to be more like Moses.

Song: I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal
Artist: John Anderson
Album: Ultimate Hits



Lyrics

Find A Place To Hold On

Just a quick note to say that on Sundays I will take the opportunity to post about hymns, songs of faith and christian songs.
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It is hard to get my pea-sized brain around the concept of time and eternity. The fact that God has always been causes the word, "TILT" to appear on my forehead. This, I guess, is where faith kicks in.

God not only has been and will be around forever, he has been working about a plan to have me with him. And no matter how much I mess up that relationship he is devising a plan to fix it.

God is seeking a way to protect me. The one who created time and has been around for every tick wants me with him. I should not question his plan. I have nothing to bring. I should just just find a place to grab a hold and cling. He'll take it from there.

This a a great version of this hymn
Song: Rock of Ages
Artist: Amy Grant (with Vince Gill)
Album: Rock of Ages...Hymns and Faith


Lyrics

That Reminds Me of a Song

So I don't have to repeat something I have already said, you can review a previous blog of mine here: Songs are Bookmarks In My Life.

I love a good tune. And I have always enjoyed a good song. I have had a radio for as long as I can remember on my bed's headboard which I would lay awake listening to at night (Billy Parker had an overnight show on KVOO). One of the first purchases I can remember making with my own money was a stereo (Bell & Howell AM/FM/cassette/8-track/turntable).

I often find myself whistling a tune without realizing it. Maverick (and his mother before him) finds this irritating. I was in a convienience store this week and was apparently whistling because the lady at the register starting singing the song I was whistling and then told me, "I love that song!" You know, I can't even remember what that song was, but I do remember it was an "oldie."

Words mean things. Sometimes you like a song for the melody and harmony. But for me it is about the words mostly. Johnny Cash could talk a pretty good song. The song can touch the soul but the words touch the heart. I suppose we need both.

I have some of Merle Haggard's music in every form. Some albums I have in vinyl, 8-track (finally thrown away), cassette, CD, and now in mp3, VHS and DVD. Debbie thinks that is S-A-D (but come on, this judgement comes from a disco queen of the 70's who listened to the Bee Gees). But it is more than the music it is the words and experiences which caused the song to be written. That is why he is called the Common Man's Poet.

I can mark events in my life with a song from that era. You probably can too. And this BLOG will end up telling you more about me then you might want to know. But it might end up causing you to think more about yours too, if you are not careful. So, each post will have the lyrics, album, artist of a particular song so that you can purchase it if you don't already have it. The songs are about me. But they might be about you.

Song: Songs About Me
Artist: Trace Adkins
Album: Greatest Hits Vol II


Lyrics