Hymns

Joy Unspeakable (And full of glory!)

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Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 1 Peter 1:8 KJV

This is one of my favorite forgotten hymns, and the story that lies behind it, starts on the day that Thomas didn’t come to church. When Jesus first showed Himself to His disciples after the resurrection Thomas was missing. So don’t miss church this Sunday because you never know when Jesus just might show up! But the next time the disciples met for prayer, Thomas made sure he was there, and Bingo! – Jesus comes. First, He shows Himself to Thomas and tells Him that He is blessed. But then Jesus adds an amazing promise for those of us who have never seen Him. He says that we can be even more blessed than the Apostles! Imagine that! How can that be? Peter gives us the answer many years later in his letter, when he writes that our unseeing faith, will open the door for our heart to be filled with a joy that is unspeakable and full of God’s glory. There are some days I could sure use that joy. Things aren’t always looking bright in our family, but the sunrise of God’s glory is just breaking over the horizon, if I can simply believe without seeing and trust Him for all that He has in store.

I’d Rather Have Jesus at Sunshine

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 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 NLT

Just as Paul had almost finished His race, many of my friends in memory care have almost finished theirs. This morning it was such an awesome time with our song session at Sunshine Home. There were a few more than our normal crowd and almost half of the sweet ladies were singing quite animatedly. It felt so much like church that as we closed in prayer and said amen, one of the nurses shouted, “Hallelujah!” Now I am pretty sure she was being lighthearted, but it did go to show that God showed up today and we could all feel His presence as we worshipped. I hope you will enjoy my own rendition of this song along with the West Wing Singers. Have a blessed week everybody!

Singing in Memory Care

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Some folks probably wonder why I bother to write two separate blogs. The reason is that, Walking With Lambs is devoted specifically for people whose lives have been touched by long-term-care, whether you are on staff, have a family member or friend in a facility or are a volunteer, these posts are meant to be an encouragement as well as a forum to add your own experiences. Today’s post is a reminder that, while those in the memory care wing of one community I visit are the least visited, they do still have a capacity to worship and praise Jesus. In fact, if you listen carefully, you will hear many happy voices praising God as we sing. I think that God loves to hear those folks more than any worship team of earth. They are the little ones who our Father is pleased to spend His time with. Why shouldn’t we do the same!

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If you have ever wondered if it is worth it to visit memory care, then this is a perfect video for you to watch. If you listen just a bit, you will hear many happy voices singing along with me. They may not recall where they used to live, or the name of family members, but they remember these songs and the name of Jesus. What a delight it is to sing with them and in my humble opinion, I think Jesus likes the sound of their voices better than any recording artist on earth! Today’s song session includes: Isn’t the Love of Jesus Something Wonderful, Oh How I love Jesus and He Keeps Me Singing. I pray that He will keep you singing as well and that you will live for Him every day!

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