For many years I have been listening to Charles Billingsley. I wanted to share with you one my favorite songs by him. I hope you enjoy the words and music, but also the wonderful picture of what our loved ones in Christ are enjoying! Thank you Jesus for making a way to spend eternity with You!
Find more music by Charles Billingsley here.
Hope to see you at Living Oaks Baptist Church this Sunday as we continue our study through the book of Acts. This week we will examine Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2.14-36). It is going to be a wonderful day of worship through song and the study of God’s Word. I hope to see you Sunday at 10:45 a.m.
As a pastor, grief is part of your calling but how you deal with it determines your ability to continue on in ministry despite sadness of the heart. In his article, “Grace for Our Grieving,” Paul Tripp uses the Biblical story of Saul and Samuel to give some great advice for ministers in dealing with grief. If you are not a pastor, go ahead and read this wonderful message on grief. I believe the scope of these biblical truths are wide enough to apply to everyone.
Click here for Paul Tripp’s article “Grace for Our Grieving.”
Here is a short article by Darrell Bock for those who may be doubting their Christian faith.
“Christian Doubt” by Darrell Bock
This past Sunday, I noticed William was singing very loudly during the song “At the Cross.” I listened carefully as he sang, “At the cross I bow my knee, where Your blood was shed for me, there’s no greater love than this…” As he stood there with his arm around me singing as loud as he could, the smile on my face could not possibly have been any bigger. There we were, father and son, worshipping our Savior together.
Later that night as I was tucking William into bed, I remarked, “You sure did like the song, At the Cross, that we sang at church this morning.” To which he replied, “Yes, I did, dad, but how did you know?” “Well,” I answered, “I could hear you singing and normally I can’t hear you. What made you decide to sing that song so loudly?” He said, “I was singing loud because I was wondering if God could hear me with so many other people singing.” The depth of his remark surprised me. I never expected a seven year old to think about such things. The unified voices singing praises was so great that William wanted to make sure his voice was heard by Jesus. I reassured him that even if a million people are praying or singing at the same time God is able to hear each and every voice. Everyone is important to God.
I know there have been times in my life when I didn’t feel like my prayers were making it past the ceiling, let alone up to the throne of heaven. The truth is, our Father in heaven is always ready to talk with us; all we have to do is call out to Him. The Bible tells us that one of Jesus’ roles in heaven is as our intercessor between us and the Father. There are times we want to shout out or to whisper, and other times we sit in silence not knowing what to say, but we can have confidence that God hears us. He hears the pain, fear, sorrow, anxiety, concern, passion, longing, hope, and trust in our prayers. He loves us and longs to not only hear from us, but to share with us His plan for our lives. Don’t let the noise around you keep you from the most important conversation of the day. God can hear you, so pray!
