…break up your unplowed ground ~ Hosea 10:12

One of my daughters was a stubborn child. She knew what she wanted, and wasn’t going to have it any other way. Her will was strong, her heart could turn hard during such an exercise, her upsetment occurred because she wasn’t getting what she wanted …much like many adults, like many unhappy souls in the world …dare I say much like our politicians …their stubbornness, their inability to see past their hard hearts, is the cause for much turmoil in their world and ours.

In Hosea 10:12, God uses metaphors from agriculture to set forth his requirements. Sandy Adams shares, We need to prepare the ground before we plant a garden. The strongest plants grow in the worked, and softened soil. The barren spots were the ones that were unworked.

Repentance does to our spirit, what a tiller does to the hard ground. A repentant heart sees its sin’s true ugliness. True repentance turns my life over and over breaking up my hardness. It allows the seeds of God to take root and create spiritual growth. But if the heart is not prepared the seed won’t take root. This why we need to turn up the soil of our heart. We need to work over that soil with a thorough repentance.

Tilling ground is laborious, hard, backbreaking, agonizing work …and so is real repentance …the results though are worth the effort. The strongest stands of spiritual fruit, will grow where you have worked the ground.

Pray on…

Song: Once Again Lord

Podcast

In the Flow

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-pks4q-16c01b2

and peoples will flow to it ~ Micah 4:1

Have you ever been caught up in a moment when time didn’t exist? A moment when your mind was so occupied that the passing of time was oblivious to you. That’s to say at some point you stopped to realized a large portion of it had passed without your recognition. That’s being in the flow.

As a musician I get to experience (flow) it in those special improvisational instances, the ones that we can’t really explain, but that inspire us and make us want to return again and again.

Here in Micah 4 we read that the people will flow to it, it being Mt Zion; to the house of the Lord, to worship …and here let me share that I’ve also experience the flow in worship. What a glorious experience to get lost so in worship that time doesn’t exist; that seconds, minutes, and hours can pass without notice.

Both Isaiah and Micah echo this piece of scripture. I’d like to believe that the Holy Spirit thought it was that important, that it needed to be mentioned twice. As they use it, it means spontaneous movement; you’re not compelled to do it, but you want to do it.

Skip Heitzig shares that, “There’s coming a day when the nations of the world will want to go to flow to Jerusalem. Because the Messiah will reign and rule from there for a thousand years, and the world will be at peace.”

What a prayer for our world, that all nations would flow to the house of the Lord …to worship him.

Pray on…

Song: In the House of the Lord

Mannerism, music

Tall, Strong and Lovingly

I’ve met many people in my life. Some that thought they were better than me because they had more education. Some thought they were better because they had more money. And then there were some that thought they were better than me because they knew the Bible better.

Life is ultimately filled with all different kinds of people that are all struggling to find their way. Because the road is fraught with failures, some individuals create an image of themselves that quite possibly isn’t true.

Now the reasoning for such created images are probably seeded in some kind of personal insecurity. The doubts and fears can cause the best of us to want to invent a better us, a stronger us, a more secure us.

The problem is that the new self, underneath the invented one, still retains the same shortcomings.

The imagined persona is just a created character that acts one way in front of others, but still falters when no one is looking.

The desire to share this dilemma is that you and I are sometimes innocently attacked by the lie. Over the years I’ve detected such instances early on and have been able to protect myself. But as a youngling I often felt prey to the demeaning words and uppity actions of others.

In retrospect I’ve discovered that the well educated were often very disappointed in their standing in life, the affluent were often living in fear of losing all that they had acquired, and all the Bible knowledge in the world did no good if it couldn’t be applied to a life.

When we strive to please God instead of the broken world we live in, we are bound to feel good at the end of the day.

Knowing that you did all that you could to make this world a more loving place lifts our spirits and more importantly make our God smile.

So walk tall today and tomorrow, walk strong today and tomorrow, and walk lovingly today, tomorrow and everyday we’re blessed with.

Pray on,
Eddy

Mannerism

Recast: The Weeper

Lexi arrived early Tuesday morning …weeping. She left to go swimming around noontime …weeping. She returned home for a nap late that afternoon, only to leave after dinner …weeping.

Oh yeah, in between the tears she found it in her heart to allow me a momentary picture, as she pensively thought about …weeping.

We all have those days when nothing seems to go right, when everything we say is wrong, when the world just seems to be against us. We would do well on those days to remember the One who walks with us, watches over us, and saves us.

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18 ESV)

Pray on,
Eddy

Originally posted on July 28, 2015

Albums, Gifts, Mannerism, music, Poetry, Video

I Never Walk Alone

This is an unreleased song from the upcoming ‘Chapel Songs’ album. It was inspired by Psalm 139 quite a few years ago. Since that time it’s been a staple of my worship repertoire and often is a requested song. Unlike most of my songs this one has pretty much stayed the same over the years, but now it gets a new treatment. I’m not sure if it’s because of the current season we’re experiencing, but the time just felt right for a remake. Hopefully it continues to strengthen and reassure those who are hurting, doubting, and living in a fearful world.

Album: Chapel Songs – Unreleased
Album: The Twelve

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Lyrics:
I never walk alone
You linger by my side
I never walk alone
You are with me

You go before me and follow me
You place Your blessing on my head
You hem me in behind and before
You lay Your hand upon my head

Lil Mann

Lil Mann: Writing in the Dust

Lil Mann’s back in his #Philly studio writing in the dust (John 8:6-9) #backhome #studio #cleaning #chilly #dust #broom #bible #bibleverse #philadelphia #north

Lil Mann

Lil Mann: The Slacker

Lil Mann caught napping instead of packing up. (Proverbs 6:9) #slacker #sluggard #lazy #lazysunday #naptime #bible #bibleverse #melbournebeachfl #florida