You Know, Life is Good!

I awoke this morning with a sense of rejoicing about this thing called life.  I have about decided to rip the televisions out of the house, abolish Internet, smash my laptop, blah, blah, blah for you finally realize, as it has always been by the way, that there is no good news ever beamed into our homes and lives by media for bad news sells, right?  As most of you know, I do a great deal of singing and love to sing not for the praise of singing but for getting to see the touch and the blessing in the faces and hearts of those I and the Pathway Quartet get to sing to.  You are never far from the reality that in each person there is loneliness, fear, procrastination, doubt, worry; all negative forces that are amplified, I believe, with the whitening of the hair and dimming of the mind.

 

When we sing, I believe there is a pre-song message to be told that leads into the essence of the song.  A few weeks ago I found a YouTube link song sung by Greater Vision and its name was LAND OF THE LIVING. I had never heard it but what captured my heart about the song was Roger Bennett, that played piano and was about to enter a time of cancer that led to his early departure for heaven, talking about the Land of the Living. He stated that he had realized that ten out of ten people are going to die! BOOM!!  None of us are going to make it out of here with here being life. We are living in a land of the dying as evidenced by disease, war, suicides, massacres, murders, etc, etc. It is life on this earth. Our challenge, then is to seek our home in the land of the living which, of course, is Heaven.

 

The Pathway Quartet is learning that great song LAND OF THE LIVING and it thrills me each time we practice it for the message of the song is so very real meaning striving to make everything perfect and grand on this earth, this journey of life, is impossible and improbable.  In practicing the song with the guys earlier this week, the great song, WITHOUT HIM, seemed to flow from the LAND OF THE LIVING for read the lyrics to the first song:

 

Without Him I could do nothing
Without Him I’d surely fail
Without Him I would be drifting
Like a ship without a sail

 

As my hair grows whiter and the obituaries loom with younger than me people leaving this world daily, the truth of that great song is so very real for without Him, I really could not do anything and I would undeniably fail for I know the sense of drifting on the waves of life.   I saw two of my younger cousin's grand children on FB a few minutes ago and the passing of time hit me in the head all over again but that is a great thing I realize on this walk. 

 

Today's blog is intended to be a supreme encouragement.  I love living in seeing my children be successful in life, in marriage, in their spiritual walk, in how they love and respect their parents as do their children. Seeing and being an active part of Ms Hope, our African Queen grand daugther from Ethiopia and to realize how her entrace to my family's culture changed the dynamics of that culture greatly in so many ways. is astounding. To get to do what I love to do each day with no physical nor emotional pain and get to feel loved, respected and appreciated as I get to love, respect and appreciate so many in my life; wow, tell me life is not great!

 

In just completing a long, intense study in the Book of Hebrews, the ending chapter underscores the challenge for us to be obedient to our leaders, pray for them, support them so I needed that challenge and reminder for it is so easy to let the media create anxiety about leadership. While I may not agree in what is being done, still these men and women are in positions of leadership so it is for all of us to lift these leaders in prayer.  We are so blessed to be actively involved in a church, The Canton Baptist Temple, that passionately and consistently preaches and teaches and sings the Gospel message in a myriad of means and our Senior Pastor, Mike Frazier, does an amazing job of preaching and leading; we are just so blessed.

 

To conclude, today is a day of rejoicing and relishing the good things of this life.  To love the people around us, to hurt when they hurt, to smile when they smile, to be part of something that is bigger and better than we are individually is a true blessing.  It is my greatest hope that my words bring a smile and a renewed hope that we are blessed in so many ways!