Promises--Sanctus Real

I come back to this song again and again. Sometimes as I sing along to it in the car, I grin and go all out with the hand motions (grabbing the promises out of the air and pulling them to me). Cheesy? Maybe. But sometimes ya just gotta. At least when life is going along in such a way that a fist-pumping celebration is in order.

Life is not always so easy going, though. It can punch you in the gut, then have the nerve to kick you when you’re down. At those times, I listen to the song and lift empty hands, longing for reassurance, and hard-pressed to see God’s promises through tears and running mascara.

I read Hebrews 6 recently and was reminded that God is faithful. It is impossible for him to break his word. And he does not lie.

“And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable. We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 6:18-20, MSG)

Hope. It is an unbreakable spiritual lifeline. Another version of the Bible calls it an anchor for the soul.

Life’s circumstances toss us around. Unexpected twists and turns or inevitable life
changes leave us stranded, lost or lonely. We’re overwhelmed by finances or emotions or relationships. Our choices or the choices of others leave us bruised and broken. The waves keep coming and so often we’re left gasping for air.

But...

Hope. If we cling to it, we have a sure and steady promise to keep us afloat. We have an unshakable, steady link to the other side of it, whatever it is at any given moment. And hope brings us right into the very presence of God, to the starting point of all his other great and precious promises.
 

Check out these other songs by Sanctus Real:

Song Title--Album Title

Run--Run
Pray--Run
Nothing Between--Run
Whatever You're Doing (Something Heavenly)--We Need Each Other
We Need Each Other--We Need Each Other
Closer--Fight the Tide
I'm Not Alright--The Face of Love
Forgiven--Pieces of a Real Heart
Everything About You--Pieces of Our Past-The Santus Real Anthology
 

TGIF

The Friday Song.  I suggested the idea shortly after becoming department Lead and my co-workers have run with it. 

It's a fun, stress-relieving, laugh-at-the-absurdities, sing-away-your-troubles little tradition that helps us wake up on a Friday morning, laugh away the mid-afternoon challenges of office communications or say good-bye to the last few minutes of the work week. 

Each Friday, one of us suggests a song to play depending on our mood or whatever office craziness has gone on that week. 

We've played everything from Aretha Franklin's Respect, to Ozzie Osbourne's Crazy Train, to Marky Mark's Good Vibrations.

Two of my personal all-time favorites are included here.

Laugh. Have fun. Happy Friday!!




                                         We played this, of course, on December 21, 2012.

Faith, Music and Sharing the Journey

Have you ever had a song meet you in your sorrow or loneliness, walking like a friend alongside you?  Maybe you've heard a tune that made you laugh when you were taking life (or yourself) too seriously. Has music ever spurred you out of complacency or calmed you in the midst of a trial?  Have you ever found yourself praying the lyrics to a song because surely the songwriter must have pulled those words straight from your very own heart?

Music is powerful.  I don't think it's any coincidence that the longest book in the Bible is a compilation of song lyrics or that people most often turn to that very same book when they want to connect with God. Music, lyrics, and the combination of the two have a way of reaching into the core of who we are.

Music is about connecting--with our innermost selves, with one another and with our Creator. 

Music is also about serious FUN.  What's every trumpet player's dream?  To play John William's Star Wars theme, of course! And what self-respecting woman does not LOVE belting out Skillet's Monster driving down the highway with her husband and kids?

As music intersects and infuses my life, I hope that the thoughts I share will in some way encourage you.

Is there a song that has recently inspired you, comforted you, or made you laugh out loud?  I'd love to hear about it!