worship music

Music for Memory Care

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! Luke 12:24

In spite of my having memorized this verse; I confess I have been worrying. It’s as if that scripture has lived on the shelf for so long that it has passed its expiration date. Or maybe I worry because we have now passed the fifth week of complete shutdown from being able to sing for my friends in the nursing homes where I visited each week. I know that the staff is doing their best to care for them but I am especially concerned for those in memory care. I think about how they not only have not had a chance for my music but they also have lost contact with family, friends and not even a priest or pastor is allowed in to hold their hands if they pass away.

But in my quiet moments of private worship God reminds me that He would never leave them alone. There is no virus, no shutdown, no sickness or even death that can separate any of us from His love! He has promised to be with us and God’s promises are never go out of date!

If you know someone who is shut in during this time please consider sharing my simple videos. This one includes; Jesus Loves Me; Trust and Obey and Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus. Most of my people not only know these but they love to sing along! I have included captions so they can follow easily. God bless and have a blessed week-end everybody!

 

On Line Worship

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

For the last month we haven’t been inside our church, seen our pastor or any of the pastoral staff. Our worship has been relegated to sitting in front of a computer screen on Sundays and we serve ourselves our own communion. But in the middle of this crisis against the unseen Covid-19 enemy God is moving in new and unexpected ways. We are meeting neighbors, thanking those who carry our groceries to the car and even being more polite to telephone solicitors. One thing we have missed so much was hearing at length from our worship team; so when Rebecca Chase released this video yesterday on her Facebook page I was really blessed to be able to be able to sit and listen at length and soak in the thoughts of how God is with us even in the middle of our confusion and weakness. God bless you Rebecca and I pray this will be a blessing to many.

 

Thank You Notes

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Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.       Ephesians 5:19-20 KJV

“Have you written a thank you note yet?” Mom inevitably asked every year right after Christmas. Talk about writer’s block: After I had penned a heartfelt “Thank you for the cap gun.” to my grandparents, I was completely out of ideas. But as word painfully followed word in those brief literary tomes, I slowly learned to be grateful for people who had loved me enough to send me a gift.

In Ephesians the Apostle Paul sounds a little like my mom. He wants to make sure that the Ephesian believers learn how to be thankful, to God and to express their gratitude by praise.“Great!” You might respond; “But I already do that in church.” Well, yes corporate worship is important; however thank you notes need to be written individually. If personal worship seems intimidating, Paul gives us three clues on how to begin. Just as my childhood thank you notes began with the basics, so praise can start with simply speaking to God with the familiar words of Psalms and hymns. That speaking can be like setting a tea pot on to boil. Little by little the temperature rises and bubbles begin to form. Those bubbles become songs that form in our hearts and begin to flow out in melodies towards God. But if you leave that tea pot on long enough you will begin hear a loud whistle. That is when our melodies  turn to joyful thanksgiving to God for all He has done and given us in Christ. That it is the very best thank you note of all!

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