Sally wil be ministering in concert today. Come and worship the Lord!
Oasis Christian, Rancho Cordova, CA
Beth Yeshua Messianic Congregation, Roseville, CA
Adat Shalom, Dallas, TX
Life Centre Foursquare Gospel Church, Pottsville, PA
Lion Of Judah Messianic Congregation, Yardly, PA
Musings Of An Aging Minstrel
So . . . I am about to go into the studio and begin recording some of my songs for our 8th album. As I look back on earlier days of our ministry and listen to my voice in its prime, I appreciate it more than I ever valued it then. I struggled with so much insecurity in myself as a human being—let alone as a singer. And now that I am older, my voice has a lot more ups and downs. In my fleshly self—in other words, ego—I wrestle with all of that, wanting it to be so different.
I see how vastly different is the Lord’s measure of me than my measure of myself
But God, who knows our humanity from the inside out, continues to show that sometimes in the weaknesses and imperfections He can speak more loudly than in my polished moments. This has been true throughout the three-plus decades of Improbable People, but even more apparent in these days. I see how vastly different is the Lord’s measure of me than my measure of myself and, unfortunately, of others at times.
‘Twas the Night Before New Year’s
NOTE: Many families and ministries
send out year-end or Christmas
newsletters, updating friends
and family on the events of the
past year. This is our version.
It’s Christmas Eve as I begin writing. And, before anything else, I am thankful to my Lord and my King for His extravagant love in my life; that He would descend from on high and all His glory to come to us as a helpless babe into a harsh world at a cruel time to offer Himself,
2020 began as any other year . . .
an acceptable and final sacrifice for our sin, so that we could be reconciled to our Maker. It’s beyond any understanding I will ever have—the goodness of God and the greatness of His love!!
2020 began as any other year, and like many others I had plans and agendas.
In early February we were able to bring A Tour of Roses to Paradise, CA, where the terrible fire in 2018 demolished almost all of the town. During that time we also put on a women’s conference for free. It was called “Something Beautiful for Someone Beautiful.”
Many hearts in the town were touched, some prayed to receive the Lord. We gave thanks to God for what He was doing in and through us!
One of our immediate personal concerns involved finding tenants to rent the back house. Long time tenant of 40 years died in September 2019. The place was a mess and we commenced the process of cleaning up, painting, etc. So we were ready to rent, and put out signs and such at the end of January, hoping to rent sometime in February.
Laying Down The Sword
I have been thinking back to when I used to fight with my dad all the time. Our arguments could go as long as 4 hours—literally. I clocked it a couple times. By that I mean I happened to look at the time when we sat down starting to talk, and again when I got up and it was over. Minutes and then hours flew by because all the anger I had accumulated from past wrongs—real and perceived—had reached a maximum saturation point and just came spilling out of me with the least provocation.
Such are the times we are living in. It is my observation that objective truth—as much as we are capable of recognizing it—has very little weight in this season. What matters to so many is the emotional truth—the wrongs and injustices done, both real and perceived that, having not been adequately addressed have accumulated over years.
He only had to speak one small statement I disagreed with
It was the same with my dad and I. He only had to speak one small statement I disagreed with, and it would trigger all the previous words and injustices, real and perceived. I could never get my fill of hurting him back verbally for all the times he hurt me and my brother with his rage, creating complete fear and distrust.
Experiencing God
I am facilitating a group from our church in a study called Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. We are about 3 weeks away from finishing the workbook which takes about 13 weeks in total. I have probably engaged this study myself and with others possibly 14-15 times now over the last 25 years. It is an awesome study! One might even say—life-changing!
Everything up until this point has been about our individual walk with God, but recently we start on Unit 10, which is about the church—in essence a community of believers. And once again I am so profoundly struck by how far away we are from the prayer Jesus prayed—and I think is still praying—in John 17, that we would be one as He and the Father are one, because this, in fact, is our witness to the world that Jesus was sent by the Father.
Paying respect to the letter of the law, but ignoring the spirit.
What I see instead is our fleshly passions heating up over what and who we think is “right” and what and who we think is “wrong.” I grew up with an understanding of the right and wrong my parents taught me, along with a complete set of Encyclopedia Brittanica in their very impressive hardback bindings with a special bookshelf just for them. Everything was included in those books—or so it seemed. But a few years ago I sold them, because knowledge and information has changed so drastically over these last few years that much of what they had to offer seemed outdated. And so, too, our understanding of right and wrong. So small and so limited, so very flawed, much like the Pharisees. Paying respect to the letter of the law, but ignoring the spirit.
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