Over the last several years, it has felt like tragedy upon tragedy has hit mankind.  Violence and natural disasters are yearly occurrences; now add COVID into the mix, and it’s been an extra difficult year.  As a northern California resident, I am reminded daily of the trials people face as I look out onto a smoky world and watch ash swirl around in the air.  Fires, floods, storms, tornados, pandemics, illness, financial loss, death.  Life is difficult.  Our world is mired with difficulty, and trials come on every side.  However, we don’t have to navigate life’s hardships on our own, and today’s song is a great reminder that there is always someone beside us as we face the hardships in life.

​Anxiety is a really big thing in this broken world, and this year has been riddled with this uneasy feeling.  While some people experience anxiety and stress to different degrees, from major panic attacks to a slight unsettled feeling, we’ve all had moments with lack of peace.  A lack of calm assurance and trust to step out of the boat and onto the water in the midst of the storm with our eyes fixed on Jesus.  

​Fall is in the air!  Kids are back to school and everyone is starting to get COVID fatigue. With the reality of a new season approaching and another semester of distance learning, many are feeling despair about how long this pandemic will alter their lives.  Add to this natural disasters like wildfires and hurricanes and the pressure becomes too much.  Uncertainty and ambivalence is high along with feelings of anxiety and stress.  And Christians are not immune to these feelings.  We also are trying to plan for the future in a world that is changing on an almost daily basis.  So how can we navigate this season?  How can we refocus our attention on truth?  How can we ease the loneliness, stress, anxiety, and fear that we feel? 

After a year and a half of worship posts, I believe it’s time to circle back and discuss the reason why we worship and, ultimately, what worship is.  It is so easy to get caught up singing songs on Sunday or listening to music and lose sight of the reason why we do these things.  Our brains are smart and can sing along with a song without having to be consciously involved.  But in order for our songs to truly be worship, our hearts must be involved.  It is not merely a singing exercise but an opportunity to praise and extol our Savior. Therefore, let’s re-examine what worship is and why we do it.

​As we close out the month of July, I would like to give you a gentle call to worship.  Sometimes life gets so busy and overwhelming that we forget how much God has given us, done for us, and won for us and so we forget to just stop and worship.  Worship Him for who He is, what He’s done, and His great faithfulness.  So today, would you take a moment to quiet your heart and mind and let the words of this song flood your soul and become a song in your heart?

​Once in a while, I like to highlight a song I would use for communion in a service.  These songs are special to me because they exalt Jesus, remind us of His great sacrifice, and fill our hearts with gratitude.  Therefore, today’s song feature will be one of these “communion” songs.

​As Americans, we live in a culture of low commitment.  People change jobs as easily as they change wardrobes, and relationship changes happen even faster.  Few young people stay in the area they grew up, either moving around for college, work, or adventure.  Most marriages are ending in divorce, many are not even getting married, and it is getting harder and harder to find people who will commit to ministry, church, or really anything.  Many of us have experienced the sting of being forsaken and abandoned by friends, leaders we looked up to, and people we have trusted.  However, the good news today is that God has never forsaken us, and He never will!

​I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating the 4th of July! Though our nation seems to be spiraling into chaos and more restrictions, we still enjoy great freedom, and it is important for us to remember and celebrate them.  One of the many freedoms we enjoy here in the States is the ability to worship God without hindrance.  Many of our brothers and sisters around the world do not get to enjoy this luxury.  Therefore, we must capitalize on and fully utilize this privilege and not take it for granted.  

​Happy July 1st!  As Americans, we are getting ready to celebrate our nation’s birthday and the freedom upon which it was built.  July 4th is a monumental day is many ways.  However, no human organization is perfect, and we have seen our nation’s shortcomings in many ways these past few months.  Yet the truth is that true freedom is only found in Christ.  We cannot manufacture or guarantee it as a people, government, organization, or movement.  Only Jesus Christ can give it to us.  Therefore, as we celebrate freedom this weekend, I want to bring our attention to the freedom we have in Christ by sharing a worship song on this topic.

​We are at the end of June.  How the time has flown by these last couple of months!  It seems that even with the sheltering and chaos in our world, time keeps marching on at a blinding pace.  But God is still sovereign.  And as we hurtle through time and space—drawing ever nearer to Christ’s return—I have a worship song for us that will remind us of God’s faithfulness and the fact that though our world is changing, our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.