Sing to the Lord

"Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord."

Ephesians 5:19a

My parents were in the choir at Grace Bible Institute back in their college days.  My mother is on the front row, far right.  Dad is in the 3rd row, 3rd person.

They loved to sing and my mother could play the piano like nobody's business!  Whenever we were home from boarding school, my parents would gather us around each day for a time of devotions and singing. 

In the morning, we'd read "The Daily Bread" at the kitchen table.   At this table in the photo below, my parents led us in times of reading the Bible and prayer.  I have lots of pictures of this table, mostly with a birthday party involved. 

Here is a picture of our living room in Japan.   See the piano behind my Dad?  He is playing a "flute" of some kind.  I think he's being silly.  He was quite the joker.  This was a mission get together with fellow missionaries on Kyushu island.  I don't have many pictures of the living room.  

My mother sat at this piano while we gathered around her.  She taught us how to sing in 4 part harmony.  Sometimes, Mom would tell us a Bible story in creative ways; flannel graph, a pretend TV made from a box with moving pictures (move by hand), slides, etc.  I wish I had pictures of those times.  They are deeply embedded in my memory.  

I found pictures of the film strips we used to have.  They were used with a record.  When the narrator would read, there would be a "ding" and my daddy would switch the film to the next picture.  

I can even "hear" the music being played as I see these pictures!

While we were at Dauphin Island, we had times of worship too.  I love it when a family can get together to sing and make music to the Lord!  It really helps that we have worship leaders in the family along with the family that can sing!  (except me.  I appreciate music and LOVE it, but God decided I didn't need a singing voice!  When I get to heaven...  But He gave me a family with much musical ability!!)

On the day we had lessons about birds, I brought along the hymn "God will take care of you".  Josh transposed it on the guitar and taught it to the children.

 Be not dismayed whate’er betide,
God will take care of you;
Beneath His wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.

• Refrain:
  God will take care of you,
  Through every day, o’er all the way;
  He will take care of you,
  God will take care of you.

Because we had been out on the surf, we thought about how Christ was able to stop the waves just by speaking!  Could any of us go out on the deck and tell the oceans to stop?  No, we can't,

but God can!

"What kind of Man is this?  Even the winds and the waves obey Him!"  Matthew 8:27  The disciples were dumbfounded!

"You rule over the surging sea, when the waves mount up, You still them."  Psalm 89:9

 Peace, He gives me peace by Sovereign Grace   Doing actions

Josh taught us a song he composed about monsters in the closet.

It was hilarious!!

If I had monsters in my closet what would I do

I'd open up the door and I'd yell "yoohoo"

The monsters would see me and they'd be so scared

At the sight of me in my underwear.

Then there were bad guys in the closet, dragons and dinosaurs, chickens and penguins.

We need not fear for God is with us, even if "monsters" lurk in our closets!

Al is deep in thought.

Claire wanted to sing Andrew Peterson's "Tractor, tractor"

We then went into "Baby shark" and pretty soon, things were out of hand...

"...He commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children..."  Psalm 78:5,6

Thank you, Dad and Mom for passing on your love for God to us so we could pass it on to the next generation and the one after that!