Transform Your Morning and Your Mood in Less Than TEN Minutes…(Part 2 of 3 on Music)
GOOD NEWS for you readers out there: You do NOT have to be a morning person to start your day off well!!!
Coming from a Confirmed Grouch in the morning, in dire need of a pot of coffee prior to producing any semblance of intelligent conversation, I’m happy to report that listening to music in the morning brings blessings a plenty:
Blessing #1: Your focus will shift away from you and your distractions, rising up to the Lord.
Blessing #2: Praising the Lord allows you to worship with truths straight out of God’s Word.
Blessing #3: Your spirit will be lifted no matter your circumstance.
I’ll be giving you two worship songs shortly to get you started. If you listen to both of them, you can do this in under ten minutes…
Last week we talked briefly about Dee Brestin’s book The God of All Comfort: Finding Your Way into His Arms which she graciously penned after her husband’s death. Songs are what saved her sanity.
The first song I’d like to share with you John and I discovered recently at our middle son’s church, Tates Creek Presbyterian Church (TCPC), in Lexington, Kentucky.(www.tcpa.org ) We’d gone to Lexington to meet Gordy and Lauren at their church and celebrate Gordy’s birthday.
Upon singing this song with its’ powerful lyrics (which caused me to weep), I made a mental note to investigate it. I also wrongly assumed, because of TCPC’s more liturgical services and typically older hymns, that this song was also an old one. Au contraire…
Please allow me to show you one of my new favorites,
O Church Arise by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend. (Never mind they also wrote a huge favorite of mine and I suspect yours, In Christ Alone. Checkout Travis Cottrell’s rendition if you have time.)
Keith is a British, Northern Irish composer, married to Kristyn, who many times co-writes these “modern hymns”. Stuart Townend is a British, English songwriter and worship leader.
Please sit back and enjoy Oh Church Arise. Soak in the lyrics:
To read these truths from the lyrics, here are just a few Scriptures that spell them out:
Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Corinthians 4:6 and 8, 12:9; 1 John 1:5; Isaiah 14:2; Psalm 27:1; Philippians 4:13; Romans 5:2; Colossians 2:15; and Hebrews 4:12.
The second song I’d like to show you I suspect you already know, but perhaps hadn’t been able to savor the Scripture around which it’s centered.
I’d heard about Kari Jobe over the past few years and was blessed to be led in worship by her at a Women of Faith Conference in Houston in March of 2014. (Click on “Houston We Have an Answer” from 3/6/14) FYI: She’ll be in Louisville May 16th with Women of Joy!!! (www.womenofjoy.org )
I love her song I Am Not Alone for several reasons…the most important of which is the reminder within the title. As believers in Jesus Christ, because of the gift of the Holy Spirit within us, we are never alone.
Matthew 28:20 is where Jesus tells us, “And lo, I am with you always…” Kari also says while writing the song, they began with Exodus 14:14, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.
Please enjoy:
Savor these Scriptures which go along with Kari’s song:
Isaiah 43:1-2; Daniel 3; Psalm 23; Psalm 46; Deuteronomy 31:6, 8; 2 Corinthians 7:9-16; Romans 9:2; John 12:35; Exodus 14:14; and 2 Chronicles 20:17. (You can find more if you hunt!)
My prayer for us all is as we begin our days, may we jump start them with worship and praise as only our King of Kings and Lord of Lords deserves. See if your mood doesn’t vastly improve as well.
Next week we can all look forward to hearing from my friend, Elizabeth Jeffries, who has discovered this type of beginning to her day. Wait ‘til you see what she’s learning!
‘Til next time!