Tag Archives: praise

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“I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.  I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

~Philippians 1:3-6

As the pastor’s wife at Long Hollow I get to see a lot of the good works that the Lord is doing in our midst. I am thankful to be in a position that allows me to see life change so often.  Yes, at times I see my share of sorrow and pain too but lately the Lord has been blessing my socks off!   In just the last week I have gotten to experience……

  1. Watching six people get baptized
  1. Praising the Lord through awesome worship songs and from His Word
  1. Seeing my teenage sons attend the Man Up conference with about 2,000 others while their dad was the speaker and they still came home and said it was awesome! : ) It blesses my heart to see so many men come out and that they want to follow the Lord.
  1.  Going to a wedding and two bridal showers where I saw young women and men desiring to start godly homes.  It is encouraging to have seen some of these students grow up and to know they are not following the statistic that say they are likely to fall out of church at this age.
  1.  Listening to stories of life change at Celebrate Recovery’s 7 year anniversary!  These stories included amazing transformations of men and women becoming sober, free from addictions, and having marriages restored, etc… I also witnessed many first time people going to get their blue chips at Celebrate Recovery and begin their own journeys of life change.  So exciting!!
  1. Hearing “God stories” from women in a leadership meeting of how God is at work.
  1. Prayer walking at On Our Knees with other women around the church.

All of the above has happened in the last five days.  I don’t know if you are a part of what God is doing at Long Hollow but be assured that He is working!  There are plenty of opportunities for you to be a part of life change such as Bible studies, prayer times and worship services.   Don’t miss out on the joy that can be yours by standing on the sidelines.  Be women who are involved and alert to where God is working!  I look forward to the days ahead because we will reap what God is doing now.  God is good and greatly to be praised!

Jennifer Landrith

Melodies Of My Heart

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Sometimes I wish life were like a musical. I grew up with a mom who taught music. Singing was a part of our daily life. There were many times we’d break out into song, often dancing and making up our own lyrics (many of which came from our favorite broadway show, Les Miserables). I loved watching musicals like Oklahoma where the characters burst into song in the midst of the street and in doing daily tasks!

Music has the power to set the precedence for our lives. Have you ever woken up with a tune in your head? Or heard a song that you can’t get out of your mind? A simple melody can overtake your heart, fill you with joy, drive your thoughts, and influence your decisions. Not only can a tune sweep you away, but sung words have a powerful effect on your soul. This was by no accident; God created music and HE even delights in singing over us! (Zephaniah 3:17)

There’s great power in singing (whether you can carry a tune or not:). After Moses led the Israelites on dry land through the midst of the Red Sea, he sang a song of praise to the LORD. (Exodus 15:1)  David spoke the words of a song to the LORD to praise Him for His deliverance. (2 Samuel 22:1) Even the morning stars sing for joy to God (Job 38:7). And most importantly, Jesus said that if we don’t praise Him, the rocks will cry out! (Luke 19:40) Before Jesus took on the unbearable weight of our sin, and before He held a rugged, splintered manmade cross just for us, He sung a hymn with His disciples. (Matthew 26:30)

I’ve always wondered what He sang that night. Although I don’t know the words, I do know His heart. And I know that before, during, and after His excurciating death on the cross, He had one purpose- to magnify the glory and love of God!

The beauty in music is that we glorify God when we praise Him. Countless times in the Psalms, we are given one simple command: “Sing praises,” “shout for joy”, “sing a new song”, “sing aloud”, “sing for joy,” and the list goes on.  This is so simple and beautiful. All the Lord tells us is to just sing. Try it. You’ll be blessed because what He says is always for our good.

Here are my Top Five Songs I’ve loved lately!

1. “How Great is Our God“-World Edition-a glimpse of Heaven on Earth

2. “To You Be The Glory” by Kari Jobe and Matt Maher-incredibly powerful words

3. “Who You Are” by Kristian Stanfill-”…You hold the orphan in Your loving arms; this is who You are…”

4. “Isaiah 55” by Leigh Nash- “we will bless the Lord, and we will be led forth, there’s NOTHING You can’t do!

5. “Like Incense/Step by Step” by Brooke Fraser- “oh God, You are my God, and I will ever praise You!”

It doesn’t matter if you can stay on pitch or the tune in which the melody is sung. All that matters is that we sing a song of praise to our God.

All my Love,

Gretchen

Empty Tomb, Whole Hearts.

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“Thus says the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, ‘I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to My commandments! Then your well-being would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.“

Isaiah 48:17-18

Easter is my favorite day. Life is fresh, nature is blossoming, and it seems as if beauty is awakening from a long slumber! More importantly, Easter is a day that declares the glory of our Risen Savior, Jesus Christ. I’ve realized recently, though, that we often celebrate half-heartedly. We easily go through the motions, but how often do we really take time to sit and attempt to grasp the sacrifice Jesus made for us? The title to this post is “Empty Tomb, Whole Hearts,” because the beautiful fact is, His grave is empty. Completely vacant. And our hearts are full of His spirit and love and grace.

Imagine a vase with a crack down the side of it. The colors are dull, and anything you put into it just falls right out of it. What an incredible picture of our hearts before Jesus entered in. Broken. Unmended. Full of Nothing.
Now, picture the redeeming love of Jesus mending your heart. “But, now, O Lord, God our Father, we are the clay, and You our Potter, and all of us are the works of Your hands.” (Isaiah 64:8) He fully mends the cracks to the point where there’s no spot that can spring a leak. He covers the top with His truth. With His perfect hands that created the Universe, He paints the most beautiful picture on the vase. A picture we could have never dreamt of and can’t even describe. And then He fills us until we overflow with His love and joy and peace…
I went inside the empty tomb in Jerusalem. It’s empty for sure. As I stood inside and gazed upon the place where Jesus’ body once lay, I felt like my heart would burst with excitement because I saw firsthand that
He is Risen! AND He lives in us!
Live today with the knowledge that your heart truly is made whole by the blood of Jesus Christ. Don’t allow discouragement, distrust, delays, or doubt cloud your vision. Be steadfast in the Lord. Praise His holy name. Because He is risen, the tomb is empty, and He lives in You.
Whole-Heartedly,
Gretchen
Psalm 84:11-12
“How lovely are Your dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God…How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion! …For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You!”