Gospel Hip Hop = A Worthy Listen!

How Do Like Your Truth?

Yep - curious question for you:  How do you like your truth?  How do you fill yourself up with life-giving scripture?  Me- I need truth to bombard my brain and seep into my heart all throughout the day. week.  If I don't intentionally fill my mind with good stuff, sinful thoughts and wrong beliefs seek to fill the vacuum- they get sucked right in! And since you can't read my mind, those unwelcome visitors can become permanent residents of my heart. Soul germs that morph into major infection or disease if not dealt with.

 

Setting aside time to be with the Lord in prayer, reading the Bible, and journaling has been a life-giving practice for me.  I need time and space daily for the Holy Spirit to peel away layers of unbelief, point out sin, encourage a weary heart, lead me to wisdom.  Yet - my heart is so fickle. I can easily become the pathetic man described in the book of James, looking at himself in the mirror only to walk away, forgetting what he just saw!  

So, a spiritual discipline for me is finding great music with needed truth.  I'm not being facetious here, people!  In the down-time of my mind, I want my thoughts to be honoring to the Lord, and this is a spiritual battle.  A favorite weapon is music.  I am grateful to have had a mom who indulged my love of music with a big ol' "Ghetto Blaster" (That's what we called it in the 80s in Toledo, OH!!!).  I cranked my parents' Sandy Patti, my brother's Petra,  and my Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman when they were still rockin' their mullets.  

Many moons later; I am no different.  I still need to crank it up and let truth sink into my soul.  If you do, too, I hope this song will encourage you, get a needed truth absorbed in a new way.  And maybe, just maybe, you'll divulge your secret love of gospel hip hop, too!  Check out more of Shai Linne -or LeCrae's Anomaly, or Attributes of God by Sovereign Grace Kids, linked below!

Sunday in Review - October 26

Rooted In Jesus

• Children sang songs like:   “Good Morning God” “The  Caterpillar Song.”  
• Children learned that GOD gives PATIENCE!
• Just like God has patience while Noah built the ark, and God gave Noah patience, God gives us patience, too.
• Galatians 5:22, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience..."

• The Preschool Community team is led by Mike and Doris Alderink, Heidi Sweet, Nancy Richter, and Sara Nist.

Kids' Community

• God makes some promises that have a condition: it requires something of us.
• Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people." Jeremiah 7:23b
• Psalm 100:1-3, "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
   Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God.  It is he that made us, we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture."
• Kids’ Community team is:  Lisa Burkes, Barbara Mussler, Andy Nist,  Kristin Livermore, Patti Fraley, Todd Barrett.

Children's Worship

• Gen. 50:20, You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good."
• Memorizing Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,  Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges and Ruth!
• Looked at The Girl No One Wanted [Leah]
• God often sets his love on those who are unloved, unwanted, unpopular just like Leah and just like Jesus.
• Led by Steve Sandvig and Chuck Boots.

Sunday in Review - Oct 19

Rooted In Jesus

• Children sang songs like:   “Good Morning God” “The  Caterpillar Song,”  and “The B-I-B-L-E"
• Children learned that GOD gives PEACE!
• Just like God gave Joseph peace when his brothers were angry with him and sold him, God gives us peace, too.
• Romans 5:8b "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

• The Preschool Community team is comprised of led each week by Mike and Doris Alderink, Heidi Sweet, Nancy Richter, and Sara Nist.

Kids' Community

• God is faithful to all his promises.
• Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah after a 25 year wait - God can do anything!
• Psalm 100:1-2, "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
       Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs."
• Kids’ Community is comprised of:  Lisa Burkes, Barbara Mussler, Andy Nist,  Kristin Livermore, Patti Fraley, Todd Barrett.

Children's Worship

• Gen. 15:6, "Abraham believed the LORD."
• Memorizing Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,  Deuteronomy AND now Joshua, Judges and Ruth!
• Looked at The Present:  Abraham was asked by God to give up something/someone very special- his only son, Isaac.
• God provided a sacrifice in Isaac's place - a ram. God later provided his only Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice.
• Led by Matt and Sarah Perkins.

Sunday In Review - OCT 12th

Rooted In Jesus

• Children sang songs like:   “Good Morning God” “The  Caterpillar Song,”  and “The Gospel Fuzzies."
• Children learned that GOD gives JOY!
• Just like God gave Paul and Silas joy while they were in prison for telling others about Jesus, God gives us joy, too.
• Romans 5:8b "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

• The Preschool Community team is comprised of led each week by Mike and Doris Alderink, Heidi Sweet, Nancy Richter, and Sara Nist.

Kids' Community

• Kids learned that there are consequences when we fail to trust in God's promises, but that God is compassionate and gracious; slow to anger.
• We reviewed that God kept his promise to Abraham to become a father of many nations, and learned that God kept his promise to Noah.
• Psalm 100:1-2, "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
       Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs."
• Kids’ Community is comprised of:  Lisa Burkes, Barbara Mussler, Andy Nist,  Kristin Livermore, Patti Fraley, Todd Barrett.

Children's Worship

• Gen. 15:6, "Abraham believed the LORD."
• Memorizing Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,  Deuteronomy AND now Joshua, Judges and Ruth!
• Looked at the Son of Laughter:  God's special promise to Abraham- his son Isaac.
• God promised that he would give Abraham a very large family, and that he would rescue his people through Abraham's family.
• Led by Randa Nader and Ann Crenshaw.

Sunday In Review - October 5th

Rooted In Jesus

• Children sang songs like:   “Good Morning God” “The  Caterpillar Song,”  and “The Gospel Fuzzies."
• Children learned that God is LOVE
• Just like the parable of the prodigal son, God loves us like the father loved the son that ran away
• Romans 5:8b "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

• Preschool Community is led each week by Mike and Doris Alderink
• Music is led by Heidi Sweet
• Teachers are Nancy Richter and Sara Nist

Kids' Community

• Worshiped with our student band, VOO, and the entire Student Community Group!
• Kids learned that God always keeps his promises. Why?
• He is able to keep his promises because he is limitless, and He desires for us to trust His character .
• Psalm 100:1-2, "Shout for joy to the LORD all the earth..."
• Kids’ Community is led by two teams that each serve twice monthly:

1) Lisa Burkes - teacher, Barbara Mussler- girls’ leader, Andy Nist - boys’  leader

2) Kristin Livermore - teacher, Patti Fraley - girls’ leader, Todd Barrett- boys’ leader

Children's Worship

• Gen. 6:5, "The LORD saw that the human heart was only evil." 
• Memorizing Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,  Deuteronomy AND now Joshua, Judges and Ruth!
• Looked at the Tower of Babel story from Genesis 11.
• The people thought they didn't need God and tried to get to heaven on their own.  We learned that the only way to heaven is through a person - JESUS!
• Led by Nene Akinbola and Lucie Nader.

Prayer and Praise Night: The Good, The Bad & The Blessed

Last Thursday was my daughter's 14th birthday.  I have been preoccupied lately and when Hannah's birthday reached out and grabbed me by the throat (!), I was unprepared.  That is an understatement.  

Hannah's birthday had been celebrated with friends the previous weekend, yet we still seek to make a big deal on the actual day.  So, Thursday began okay.  Birthday breakfast as a family - check.  Treat packed for school lunch - check.  Plans for a friend coming over that night for a sleepover (crazy, right?) - check.  The birthday intentionality started to fade towards late afternoon.  The plan was to watch a cross country meet of Micah's.  Oh, right....not the most fun for a girl who cannot run due to a hip fracture.  The meet is delayed; we wait around, grumbling.  Birthday girl begins a query into the rest of the evening.  

"Oh, yeah, remember what we talked about Hannah?  Chick-fil-A and Prayer & Praise tonight, then Emily comes over."

Um, 14 year olds apparently don't feel celebrated over fried chicken and praying at church.  Strange, I know.  Our birthday tradition is always a special dinner at home, family members taking multiple turns saying what we love or admire in the celebrated one. Followed by decadent dessert.  Not this birthday:  The five of us are sandwiching Chick-fil-A between cross country meet and swimming for Andy and Eva and prayer night for me, Hannah and Micah.  Oh, this day...

5:45 pm - Driving over to the meet, hurt feelings emerge.  Adding to disappointment is stress over unfinished homework and studying.  Pastor Tim Kirk frequently points out that discipleship is a series of hard conversations. Commence Hard Conversation:  I confess to Hannah that I have blown it with her birthday; I have put my needs and concerns first.  I ask her to forgive me.  She does.  Hannah requests that we skip Prayer & Praise.  Hard Conversation, Part Two:  No, I am compelled for us to go (truth be told - I am questioning whether the Lord is really compelling me or if I am merely being stubborn).  

6:15 pm - The meet finishes; we divide into two cars for a pit stop at Chick-fil-A before going our separate ways.  I point the minivan south on Keystone and speed towards Main Street.  I am beseeching the Lord silently to redeem this day but am skeptical.  
Oh ye of little faith.

7 pm - At church, Hannah and I settle into our seats in a back row.  Micah chooses the front row, slurping a Blow Pop he was given at the XC meet.  (This is keepin' it real, people!)  A passage of Scripture that was chosen is one that I can just blow right by and miss.  Luke 11 finds Jesus answering his disciple who says, "Lord, teach us to pray!"  Jesus talks to them about a man with a need who persists with his friend until he gets what he is after.  He talks about a father whose son asks for food - a father would never give his son something harmful, but instead something good.  And in between, Jesus instructs his followers to be persistent:  Ask!  Seek!  Knock!  "For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened."

At 7:30 pm, we divide up into smaller groups to pray.  I ask Hannah to pray with me outside and she consents but first seeks a friend to bring along.  Coming up empty, she tentatively walks with me, outside. We have just read how Jesus has sent his followers out into the world.  So, Hannah and I pray for those people and places to whom and where we have been sent.  We pray for specific school friends, for teachers, for coaches, and for other moms and daughters.  Persisting in prayer with my oldest daughter on her birthday- knowing she is sacrificing her desires to do so - what a birthday blessing.  My heart is full. I am so thankful for a persistent God who gives good gifts to his children, and who gives his very "Spirit to those who ask him."