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.

​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.

​Following along the same vein as last week’s song, today we’re going to focus on a beautiful story song that will rouse our hearts to worship our great Creator and Savior.

​While many things may seem to be falling apart and on hold, the Church has been growing during this global pandemic in ways that haven’t been seen in years.  While it may seem like the Church is closed since the buildings are mostly empty, God is working through His Church in mighty ways.  As the people of God lean into the Spirit of God and shine brightly during this season, many are coming to the truth.  The Lord is working and moving through His Church, and the gospel is spreading during this time of crisis.  In light of all this, it is appropriate that our worship song for today focuses on the history and purpose of the Body of Christ.

We’re living in unprecedented times.  This phrase has been a buzz phrase over the past few months as the world tries to wrap its head around what is happening with COVID-19.  We have never lived through something like this before.  Governments have never enacted such broad, economically devastating policies before.  The world as we know it has shifted like the earth’s tectonic plates.  The novel coronavirus has rocked our world and the aftershocks will be felt for a while.  The media even uses earthquake language as it conveys updates on what the national and global epicenters for COVID-19 are. 

​As we finish out this worship set focused on the love of God, I’m going to close with a song that has been on my mind and heart for the past couple of months.  It was actually the song that inspired this whole set and attuned my heart to meditate on God’s immeasurable love.  This song is “Love on the Line” by Hillsong Worship.

​Another month…how time marches on!  February is the month of love, month of hearts, and month of romance.  Valentine’s Day is around the corner.  Our hearts yearn for complete, unconditional love.  We have been hardwired to desire God’s love.  The problem is that we look for it in flawed human beings.  So while the world celebrates human love and the temporariness of that fickle emotion, let’s spend this month worshipping God for His unfathomable, unconditional, boundless love toward us.

​Life can get crazy sometimes.  As we look forward and focus on worshipping God at the beginning of this new decade, it seems that life has gotten crazier than normal.  It seems that many people I know of or have brushed shoulders with over the past month have either lost a loved one, experienced a family emergency, had an accident, or are knee deep in medical challenges.  Life can become overwhelming at times, but there is One who is constant and never changing.  The God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow is reliable and totally in control.  Today’s song feature celebrates and declares our faith in that truth.

​Merry Christmas!  What a special day this is!  Joy as children open up brightly colored packages, merriment as families gather together, and yummy food as people come together to celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world.  And on this special day, I have a special worship song to share.

​Continuing on in our focus on the person of Jesus Christ, and the worship due Him, today’s song feature is one that the rest of my family actually heard before me.  They were attending a church service in a different town than I was that particular Sunday, and this song was sung.  It deeply touched them and they came home telling me about.  However, it wasn’t until more recently that this song really resonated with me too.