My Soul Magnifies the Lord

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A Chris Tomlin Christmas Song

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© Richard Alvey and iLife Journey, 2012. All rights reserved.

You are I AM – Mercy Me

I recently came across this song by Mercy Me and it has really touched my soul. The message is powerful and I hope it proves to be an encouragement to you as well.

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© Richard Alvey and iLife Journey, 2012. All rights reserved.

Harder than we were expecting

It was a journey we were ill-prepared for and “utterly exhausted” would be a step up from how we felt when it was over.

Our daughter Kyrsten is a senior in high school and playing golf for only the second year. We are familiar with golf in general and I have played a few times long ago, but she is the first one to participate on a school team playing the sport.

Last year we attended a regular match involving one other school. A girl from each school is paired up (five girls from each school) and assigned a hole to begin at. Then they proceed to play nine holes of golf.

For an hour and a half we found ourselves enjoying the beautiful natural setting in all of its quietness and splendor. Of all the sporting events our kids have participated in, it was by far the most relaxing and enjoyable experience we’ve ever had.

This year, last Saturday to be precise, we experienced our first tournament match involving four schools. That was the journey we were ill-prepared for.

One girl from each school is put into a group and the four of them are assigned a hole to begin at. Instead of just nine holes they play the entire 18-hole course.

We noticed all the other families riding around in carts and figured they had money to burn or were just a tad lazy. But 5 1/2 hours later in 92 degree weather, we fully understood why they rode around in carts… with coolers strapped on… with lots of liquids and snacks!

It was harder than we were expecting!

Needless to say we learned our lesson and will be better prepared the next time.

Jesus once warned those who would follow Him to first count the cost because it wouldn’t be a bed of roses. Having journeyed with Jesus now for 33 years I understand His advice.

The journey is much harder than I was expecting!

As with any such experience it helps to know we are not alone and this song by Steven Curtis Chapman says it so well. Whatever it is you’re facing remember… we’re just taking the “Long Way Home.”

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© Richard Alvey and iLife Journey, 2012. All rights reserved.

10,000 Reasons

One of my new favorite worship songs! Hope it stirs your spirit as it does mine! There is no better way to begin a day than blessing His  holy name!

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© Richard Alvey and iLife Journey, 2012. All rights reserved.

Mysterious messages from a parallel universe?

After our Christmas Eve service at church this last year our kids headed home in one car while my wife and I got a bite to eat in town before stopping by to visit a family.

As I was walking between our car and the restaraunt I received a phone text that read, “Quit holding up the line!”

Glancing around the desolate parking lot I wondered what parallel universe this message had come from. After showing it to Susan I called the gal who sent it to find out what tidbit of information I was missing that would make sense of it all.

As I was on the phone with her – explaining that I really wasn’t right in front of her at that very minute – it dawned on Susan that our friend was probably behind our kids who were in our car.

Mystery solved!

Turns out this all happened at Burger King so Susan texted one of our girls… “Burger King huh?”

We couldn’t have asked for a better setup.

“What? How did you know? Where were you?”

We had a good laugh with that one!

It’s like that with God you know. It doesn’t matter where we are or what we’re doing God is always with us. That’s not such great news if you like to do life on your own or engage in private activities (except to God) that you wouldn’t want your mother to know about.

But on the other hand, how cool is it that God really is with us everywhere! Isn’t it amazing that He delights in us that much! After giving His followers some final instructions about making disciples, Jesus said:

“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” ~ Matthew 28:20 (NLT)

There are plenty of times in this world when we feel absolutely alone… but we’re not! Our loving, heavenly Father is always with us!

One of my favorite worship songs is “Everywhere I Go” by Lincoln Brewster. Whether you enjoy the video or not I’m sure you’ll appreciate the lyrics to the chorus.

Everywhere I go Your love surrounds me
Everywhere I turn Your grace reminds me
Nothin’ in the world can separate us now
Every step I take You’re there to guide me
Every day I wake Your mercy finds me
Nothin’ in the world could ever take this love away

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God of my… some things

At one time I trusted God with everything; my marriage, my family, my work, my friendships, etc. I was confident that His plans were better than my plans. Life and faith in God were simple and straight-forward.

But somewhere along the way things got out-of-hand.

• Pressures of life began to squeeze our marriage and less time together meant less of a foundation to stand together against the various assaults that came at us. There were times when we were ready to throw in the towel and quit!
• As the kids got bigger and ventured out into the world there were new struggles with kids that were cruel and situations that were unfair but beyond our control.
• Unhealthy work environments began to sap my passion for ministry and without realizing it I slipped into “survival mode.”
• And then there’s the issue of people! I know how messed up and hurtful human beings can be because I am one. Relationships that don’t get handled well don’t fix themselves or go away; they come back to bite you in the butt!

In short… life got messy and complicated!

What happens when our current faith in God gets trumped by our circumstances of life? Ancient believers referred to this experience as the “dark night of the soul” – a crisis of faith that either destroys our trust in God or drives us deeper into Him.

My first encounter with this was a bit daunting! But I’ve come to embrace this as a healthy and normal part of our journey with God. I’m learning not to dread such moments but to see them as an invitation from God to go deeper in my trust of Him.

The song God of My Everything by Bebo Norman has come to be a powerful reminder that no matter how complicated life gets or how out-of-control it might seem, I can still trust God with everything. If the video below doesn’t play then click here.

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A one-man band

Josh Wilson uses a loop pedal to play an instrumental version of Amazing Grace that is simply amazing!

Hold Me by Jamie Grace

This is the current popular song around our house. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

If video doesn’t play click here.

Lord of the Dance – Steven Curtis Chapman

Steven Curtis Chapman, accompanied by sons Caleb (guitar) and Will (drum) doing one of my all-time favorite songs. This is apparently the song he uses to test-run a new guitar.

If the video doesn’t play click here.