Songbook Sunday and FATHER'S Day!

Ok, so Songbook Sunday is an idea that I've been mulling over in my head for about a month and a half. Every Sunday (I hope) I will post the lyrics of a song sang during worship services that day and what it means to me. I am going to be working on a pretty little clipart/button and may even end up with a link widget so that you can all link your blogs on to mine if I get an interest. Please spread this around. I would LOVE to see what is inspiring you in your lives each week and what song spoke to your heart. For now, leave me a comment, please!

Before I get to that though, today is also another special day...you call all say it with me Father's Day!!! My family blog today is dedicated to the earthly father's in my/our lives. But there is another FATHER in our lives.

At our church in FL, before we moved to wonderful Kodiak, a lot of emphasis was placed on messages that were relevant. Boy, was today's message ever relevant. Matt Douglas, a missionary supported by our church, serving in Sydney, Australia (rough life, huh?), shared with us about Romans 15:13.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

His points were so simple, but things we all to often forget:

• The hope to live our Christian life comes entirely from GOD!
• As long as we have GOD, there is hope for all of us.
  
• Paul wasn't talking to unbelievers in this scripture, he was talking to THE CHURCH!!!

He also shared the biblical definitions of some of the words in this scripture, that many of us define differently - based on cultural acceptance.

• joy : an inside out satisfaction of what GOD is doing in my life. It is NOT happiness, which is the result of what happens.
• peace : an acknowledgment that GOD is good, knows what is best for us and has the power to DO it! It is NOT an absence of conflict; no war.
• believing (some translations use this instead of trust) : understanding what salvation is all about [I am currently studying Beth Moore's Believing God and she mentions that believing is a present active participle - currently taking place or takes place repeatedly/continually]
• abound (some translations use this instead of overflow) : more than you think you can handle, faster than you think you can handle it

So why did I think this is relative to today? Father's Day? Maybe that it is that it is customary to give our father's gifts on this day, but instead, HE gives US gifts this and every other day. He WANTS TO FILL US UP!!! It is up to us to accept His gifts.

This brings me to my first installment of [drumroll please] Songbook Sunday.

This is a song I have loved for many years, but still just makes my skin tingle and heart burst when singing it. It is a praise to GOD for who He is. It is my gift to GOD, a gift of thanks for all He has done and will continue to do for me.

SHOUT TO THE LORD

My Jesus, my Savior, LORD there is none like you.
All of my days, I want to praise, the wonders of your mighty love.

My comfort, my shelter, tower of refuge and strength.
Let every breath, all that I am, never cease to worship You.

Shout to the LORD, all the earth, let us sing.
Power and majesty, praise to the King.
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar,
With the sound of your (wonderful) name.

I sing for joy at the work of Your hands.
Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand.
Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.

It's amazing how much this spoke to me today. Today, of all days, I wanted to truly SHOUT how much I love Him. He is my Father, my Abba, my daddy. It sounds (and feels) SO odd to say it that way, but it is true. If the mountains and seas are calling out to Him, how much more should we? Let's all remember to take in His beauty and thank him for it. His name is all mighty, all powerful and so amazingly wonderful. We aren't even worthy to stand in His presence, but through the blood of Jesus Christ we are welcomed into his arms and called daughter (or son). There is nothing in or on this earth that could come close to comparing to him and the promise He has given us.