My Emotional Journey Through Music

A couple of nights ago, I was feeling a little down so I started listening to some music videos on YouTube. The videos that came to mind formed an interesting progression and I think that they showed where I was from beginning to end. The main reason that I wanted to share with you because where I ended up really made me laugh. I have shared some of these videos with you before so I apologize if you don't like repeats. Anyway...

I present to you my emotional journey through music!

Blessings by Laura Story

Held by Natalie Grant

Stronger by Mandisa

What if Your Best by FFH

I was actually searching for the Blue song from Madame Blueberry but I came across the "Stuff Mart Song" instead and I really love this song so I decided to listen to it instead. Unfortunately embedding has been disabled so if you want to listen to this one you are going to have to view it on Youtube.com by Clicking Here to view the Stuff Mart Song.

Endangered Love (Silly Songs with Larry)

By this time I was laughing and feeling much better. I ended the night by listening to "The Biscuit of Zazzamarandabo".

The Biscuit of Zazzamarandabo (Silly Songs with Larry)

the Super Bowl and Other Things that Cause Stress

Last night was Live Out Loud Student Ministries fourth annual Super Bowl Party. Our youth, college students, Jimmy and me, and a few of our adult leaders all gathered at the Nelson's house to watch the big game or play cards or play wii or just have a good time. It is usually one of the most laid back events we have every year. We gather at the church and bus the kids to the house. The kids bring drinks and any special snacks. We provide the  Game, the Wii, and pizza. Simple enough.

On the outside this year seemed just that simple too. Behind the scenes things were quite a different story. Over the past year our group has been going through some difficult struggles and transitions. Attendance has been up and down and tensions have been high. So as we called Little Caesar's Pizza to order 12 larges we prayed that there would be enough people there to eat them. In fact, the stress was so bad that Jimmy couldn't get a good night's sleep the night before.

I tried to tell him that everything would be fine and that kids would show up. Hey! It's the Super Bowl. There's free pizza! And although we do a devotion instead of watching the half-time show, most teens feel this is a non-threatening environment where they are not going to get preached out. So they would come.

But the whole week leading up to the party, we got phone call after phone call after Facebook message after text message of students who weren't coming--even some of our dependable regulars! It was discouraging and added to the already mounting disappointment.

Finally Super Bowl Sunday gets here and the phone calls start again. Only this time they are students who haven't been in months who wanted to let us know they were coming. It was a total 180. In the end, we ate 10 out of 12 pizzas. We had so much fun routing for our teams. We had about 30 or so students and adults, but most importantly God provided! He blew our minds and made us feel foolish for stressing out in the first place instead of trusting that He would take care of it. Even if it was just a Super Bowl Party. There was no need to stress. God is in control and always has been.

"Look at the nations and watch--be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." Habakkuk 1:5

You Are Not Forgotten

I have put off writing about this. I feel like this was a very clear message from God when I needed it the most, and it spoke to me immediately and deeply. So deeply in fact that I almost kept this promise to myself, but then I decided that maybe someone else needed to hear this as well. I am going to share the message but if you don’t mind, I am going to keep the details that made it so personally moving to myself. Sorry.

Wednesday I was reading Girl Talk with God (read my review of Girl Talk with God) and one of the “talks” included the passage Habakkuk 2:3. I read the words without much emotion and kind of brushed them off. I didn’t want to read too much into them since I randomly read them in this book although I did remark that it was an obscure verse. I mean who reads from Habakkuk? Who puts it in their book? Evidently Susie Shellenberger does. Anyway…

Thursday morning, I opened my copy of Voices of the Faithful: Book 2 (Read my review of Voices of the Faithful: Book 2) and turned to January 27th… *Pause* If you don’t know the format of the book let me give you the low down. Each page has a scripture passage at the top, then a story or devotional by an IMB missionary, and it closes with a prayer which is relevant to the topic. *Play* Guess what! My eyes immediately filled with tears when I saw the verse was Habakkuk 2:3. This was no coincidence. These words were for me. God knew I was going to read the passage the night before and brush it off so He put it in my path first thing the next morning! I mean what are the odds?! The same obscure scripture in two totally different books that I have been reading for days and I read the verse twice within 10 hours of each other. No way! This was definitely God.

I want to share Habakkuk 2:3 with you because maybe you need to hear it today. God has a promise and a plan for you. Don’t give up hope.

“The message I give you
waits for the time I have appointed.
It speaks about what is going to happen.
And all of it will come true.
It might take a while.
But wait for it.
You can be sure it will come.
It will happen when I want it to.” Habakkuk 2:3 NIrV

God, please use this verse to speak to someone else today. I know there are others out there who have almost given up on their dreams or the things they felt you had promised them because they have been a long time coming. Use your Word to refresh them and to renew their hope. Remind them that they are not forgotten. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

More Resources

Too Much Emotion

I admit it. I’m Emo sometimes. I like things to go my way and if they don’t I get pouty and annoying. I mope around and sigh and generally make everyone else miserable in the process. Sadly, this behavior isn’t only directed toward other people. I also find myself treating God this way.
How many times have I cried, “Not fair!” Then I proceeded to pout and complain about how God doesn’t love me and I can never catch a break. Isn’t that the same selfish behavior I am ashamed to see myself use on other people, and now I am using it on God. Not that it will get me very far.
God is just, loving, and unchanging. He doesn’t respond to pouting and foot stomping. He doesn’t fall for reverse psychology. However, He does listen to what I have to say—no matter what attitude I say it in. He does keep His promises. He does fulfill His will in my life. He even uses my mistakes and bad choices and bad attitudes to shape the person I am going to become. See He’s got it all together even if I don’t!
“God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” Numbers 23:19
STOP your pouting!
START trusting God.
LIVE a full life based on God’s promises.