The Musician

Here's a beautiful prayer I found while surfing the net looking for some chord charts. (See, Mom, there ARE a few good things on the web!)

The Musician

copyright by Vanessa L. Miller (music minister, Reno, Nevada)

To God, who created every song, note, and key
All glory and praise, I offer to Thee
Before the clap of the hand, or the tap of the shoe
The concept of rhythm, it started with You
You composed melodies for the birds to sing
And anointed their songs with the joy that they bring
So before You, the author of music, I bow
I’m asking that You would bless me now
With the understanding of this perfect gift
This ministry You have blessed me with
That Your glory will always be my goal
That You will be the musician within my soul
Whether it be with my voice, my hands, or my feet
With wind, strings, pipes, or a steady beat
Without Your Spirit to touch and anoint
The sweetest sounds become mere noise
But to play like David, to calm and to soothe
And most of all, to be pleasing to you
Let this be my motive and the source of my drive
That Your name will ever be glorified
Please let my praise be a sacrifice
Offered to You, no pretense or disguise
Let my life be a song more precious than words
Sweeter to you than any note ever heard
Let it ring out strong, and true to the end
I ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Treasure Box

I celebrated my 50th birthday last week. I received some wonderful gifts, like a new deck and deck furniture, and some fun gifts, like a huge basket filled with 50 individually wrapped items. But the best gift I got came from my 6-year old best buddy Elijah.

Elijah and I are heart friends; have been since he was born. So yesterday when he came up with a birthday bag and a look of eager anticipation, I knew he had something good for me. Out from the bag came a beautiful brown box. "Thank you," I said. "This is beautiful." But I hadn't really seen the gift. The gift was inside the box. "I put fifty kisses in there for you," Elijah told me proudly.

"Do you mean," I said, "that if I need a kiss tomorrow, all I have to do is take one out of this box?" Elijah agreed that that was all there was to it.

It's the best birthday gift I got. You can't see the treasure in the box, but me and Elijah know it's there.

Isn't that how we are? Isn't that what Paul meant when He said we hold this treasure in earthen vessels? Others can't necessarily see the treasure that's inside, but we can pull it out when we need it for ourselves or to give to others. Whether it's love, or peace, or joy, meekness, tenderness or any of the fruits of the Spirit; whether it's salvation that can be freely enjoyed and freely shared, whether it's the Holy Ghost with His power, comfort, or understanding, the treasure is inside. And like Elijah's gift, these gifts are the best we'll ever receive.

Happy 4th of July

The lyrics of this song more completely express my feelings about this day than anything that I could say:

Statue of Liberty

In New York Harbor stands a lady,
With a torch raised to the sky;
And all who see her know she stands for
Liberty for you and me.

I'm so proud to be called an American,
To be named with the brave and the free;
I will honor our flag and our trust in God,
And the Statue of Liberty.

On lonely Golgotha stood a cross,
With my Lord raised to the sky;
And all who kneel there live forever
As all the saved can testify.

I'm so glad to be called a Christian,
To be named with the ransomed and whole;
As the statue liberates the citizen,
So the cross liberates the soul.

Oh the cross is my Statue of Liberty,
It was there that my soul was set free;
Unashamed I'll proclaim that a rugged cross
Is my Statue of Liberty!

© Words & Music by Neil Enloe

Happy 4th of July!