"Give thanks to Yahweh, call on His name;
proclaim His deeds among the peoples.
Sing to Him, sing praise to Him;
tell about all His wonderful works!
Honor His holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.
Search for the Lord and for His strength;
seek His face always." Psalm 105:1-4
Hi everyone. Wow, it has been a long time since I have updated this blog. Lame intro...I know...but it's the truth and that is what I hope to share with you today. Where have I been and what have I been doing? I will try to update you as quickly as possible.
I want to assure you that in all things and in spite of all things, I have been praising the Lord through song, I am still praising the Lord through song, and by God's grace, will continue to praise the Lord through song! I have, however; in my mind at least, been a bit more "side-lined"...or you could say "on the bench" than I was expecting. I was hopeful that the momentum my music ministry was experiencing was going to continue and that our family would be moving into a season of blessings. Instead, I was headed straight into a downpour of heartbreaking disappointments.
It started with our move from the Florida Keys. We had hopes that our real estate investments would be a financial footing for our future...not! Because of the national recession and the failing economy, we like many of you have been learning to deal with a new normal, one that we never expected we would be facing. The past few years have included ALL of the following challenges...
Personally, it has felt as if I have been caught up in "the perfect storm" brought on by a relentless enemy who has been pulling out his big guns (some of which I cannot even discuss publicly) in an attempt to steal, destroy and kill me. I've dropped in sheer exhaustion a few times but I am not defeated because I have a mighty King that strengthens me and stands in the gap as my intercessor at all times! The enemy will not silence my praise for my Savior. The enemy will not snuff out the light of Christ who lives within me. The battle is the Lords and He said that it is not by might nor by power but by His Spirit...that is where my victory is!
Even in the darkest hours, my heart has never stopped beating for my God, my soul never stopped yearning to know Him more, and my spirit, though it felt crushed at times, has never stopped praising Him. Yet, the journey through these painful circumstances has changed me. I believe the challenges were part of God's permissive will and therefore, whether the changes have come due to God's pruning hand or loving discipline or creative rescue...the truth of His promise that "He makes all things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes" still stands! You see, He is the one constant! He is always good.
Some of my life changes include an increased interest in writing and blogging for the sake of inspiring others to know and share the love of Christ. Another big change is that I have begun a new journey to become a speech language pathologist and currently I am attending USF in pursuit of the education needed to achieve that goal. Please visit "Choosing to Shine" and "Vocal Matters" to read more of what God has been up to in my life the past couple of years.
Although some things have changed, many things about me have not. They include...
- the never ending sound of music within my spirit that cries for release as an over flow of praise for the ONE who saved me
- the never ending compulsion to share with others about the ONE who continues to save me
- the never ending hope that I have in the Lord Jesus that He is the only ONE who can and is willing to save and change anyone who will trust in and follow Him
Through it all, I have found renewed strength, nourishment, and a never-ending love exchange in the process of being who He created me to be...a Worshiper.
In actuality that means...I sing all the time...sometimes silently but most often audibly during my quiet time with Him, around the house, in my car, at the office, when I'm out and about, and when I pray. I sing privately and sometimes publicly. I am willing to sing for Him publicly wherever He gives me an opportunity too. I am also still writing music and would love to record again but financially, it has not been possible yet. Perhaps, God will make a way. But no matter what, I will never stop worshiping Him.
The past few years, it has been my privilege to sing with some wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ as we lead worship together at FishHawk Fellowship Church. I have been blessed to have been carried by the fullness of God's amazing Spirit as I relied on Him and worshiped Him in the middle of the "Perfect Storm". Why do I refer to it as the "Perfect Storm"? Because I have intimately come to know God's great "Perfecting Love" in deeper and more profound ways than ever before as He carried and held me above the waves the entire time. For that, I am so grateful. His strength is surely made perfect in my weakness.
I leave you with a few snapshots of some of those public moments of worship. (I am sorry the snapshots are not very clear but they are all I have.) Feel free to contact me if you would like me to come worship with you at your church or event. It would be my privilege!
Hi everyone. Wow, it has been a long time since I have updated this blog. Lame intro...I know...but it's the truth and that is what I hope to share with you today. Where have I been and what have I been doing? I will try to update you as quickly as possible.
I want to assure you that in all things and in spite of all things, I have been praising the Lord through song, I am still praising the Lord through song, and by God's grace, will continue to praise the Lord through song! I have, however; in my mind at least, been a bit more "side-lined"...or you could say "on the bench" than I was expecting. I was hopeful that the momentum my music ministry was experiencing was going to continue and that our family would be moving into a season of blessings. Instead, I was headed straight into a downpour of heartbreaking disappointments.
It started with our move from the Florida Keys. We had hopes that our real estate investments would be a financial footing for our future...not! Because of the national recession and the failing economy, we like many of you have been learning to deal with a new normal, one that we never expected we would be facing. The past few years have included ALL of the following challenges...
Personally, it has felt as if I have been caught up in "the perfect storm" brought on by a relentless enemy who has been pulling out his big guns (some of which I cannot even discuss publicly) in an attempt to steal, destroy and kill me. I've dropped in sheer exhaustion a few times but I am not defeated because I have a mighty King that strengthens me and stands in the gap as my intercessor at all times! The enemy will not silence my praise for my Savior. The enemy will not snuff out the light of Christ who lives within me. The battle is the Lords and He said that it is not by might nor by power but by His Spirit...that is where my victory is!
Even in the darkest hours, my heart has never stopped beating for my God, my soul never stopped yearning to know Him more, and my spirit, though it felt crushed at times, has never stopped praising Him. Yet, the journey through these painful circumstances has changed me. I believe the challenges were part of God's permissive will and therefore, whether the changes have come due to God's pruning hand or loving discipline or creative rescue...the truth of His promise that "He makes all things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes" still stands! You see, He is the one constant! He is always good.
Some of my life changes include an increased interest in writing and blogging for the sake of inspiring others to know and share the love of Christ. Another big change is that I have begun a new journey to become a speech language pathologist and currently I am attending USF in pursuit of the education needed to achieve that goal. Please visit "Choosing to Shine" and "Vocal Matters" to read more of what God has been up to in my life the past couple of years.
Although some things have changed, many things about me have not. They include...
- the never ending sound of music within my spirit that cries for release as an over flow of praise for the ONE who saved me
- the never ending compulsion to share with others about the ONE who continues to save me
- the never ending hope that I have in the Lord Jesus that He is the only ONE who can and is willing to save and change anyone who will trust in and follow Him
Through it all, I have found renewed strength, nourishment, and a never-ending love exchange in the process of being who He created me to be...a Worshiper.
In actuality that means...I sing all the time...sometimes silently but most often audibly during my quiet time with Him, around the house, in my car, at the office, when I'm out and about, and when I pray. I sing privately and sometimes publicly. I am willing to sing for Him publicly wherever He gives me an opportunity too. I am also still writing music and would love to record again but financially, it has not been possible yet. Perhaps, God will make a way. But no matter what, I will never stop worshiping Him.
The past few years, it has been my privilege to sing with some wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ as we lead worship together at FishHawk Fellowship Church. I have been blessed to have been carried by the fullness of God's amazing Spirit as I relied on Him and worshiped Him in the middle of the "Perfect Storm". Why do I refer to it as the "Perfect Storm"? Because I have intimately come to know God's great "Perfecting Love" in deeper and more profound ways than ever before as He carried and held me above the waves the entire time. For that, I am so grateful. His strength is surely made perfect in my weakness.
I leave you with a few snapshots of some of those public moments of worship. (I am sorry the snapshots are not very clear but they are all I have.) Feel free to contact me if you would like me to come worship with you at your church or event. It would be my privilege!
