Well it seems like some of you are anxiously waiting for part three and my students are watching a movie, so I may have time to get part three in the books..... part 3 - The Oh my I just talked to my birth mother for the first time and now I have no idea what to do with all these emotions and oh my I still have a conference to attend..... sounds like a good title don't you think!
After I talked to Nancy my birthmom - I did what every good daughter would do - I called my mom! I told her all about it while it was still fresh on my mind. She had tons of questions - she was so excited! So happy - I was in shock! (still excited but shock!) I am so thankful that my parents are so supportive of this. I can't remember a time in my life that I didn't know that I was adopted, and that there was someone out there that loved me very much.... that statement from my mom was confirmed by my birthmom - almost exactly! My mom also can't wait to meet Nancy and share stories!
Breath Jana breath - it is now time to head to the conference. So we went back to the hotel and looked Nancy up on facebook. I added her as my friend - finally a picture.... I didn't know what to expect - I always wondered what she looked like. And that was always one of the hard things for me - not looking like anyone since my family is all very tall (except my brother and I who are both adopted) Anyway - I do remember when I had Ella - looking at her hoping that she would look even just a little like me so I would have someone to look like. (Just a side note, though my sister Jill and I aren't blood related we have in the past 10 years been told of our resemblance to each other - always found that so funny, especially when they find out that I am adopted)
Anyway - in less than 48 hours I went from wondering, to searching, to finding, to chatting on the phone to seeing her picture..... all while I was preparing for and attending a conference! Do you feel overwhelmed thinking about it.... honestly I had to go into "closet" mode just to hold it all together - I didn't have time to experience any emotions..... it was crazy... now Joel and I still hadn't even had a chance to talk about any of this yet - so that evening I was going to tell him about it but I was in the room and my phone was dying and there were people around so we talked for a few minutes and decided I would just tell him everything when I got home.
I slept well that night - I was exhausted. Went through the day at the conference, got recognized as a team leader in the leadership march! Then we headed home just to hit a snow storm - our 2 hour trip turned into 4.5 hours, a call to 911 when we witnessed an accident and watching a cop get out of the car and fall flat on his butt (has nothing to do with the reunion, but we thought it was funny)
When I finally got home - I crashed - both physically and emotionally - for the first time I just let it all out - I sobbed - all my pent up fears and emotions came spewing out on my poor husband - good thing he is a patient man! After I calmed down I talked to my mom and made sure she was okay with all of this even though she told me numerous times she was.... she has been amazing through the whole thing!
Nancy and I messaged each other and decided Tuesday would work.... now the thought of where to meet began to consume me. One of the things about me that I am not partiularly fond of is my need to control things when I feel out of control..... all my feelings were overwhelming me so I was trying to think of where the best place to meet would be - I thought about distance, location, would we have to meet in the parking lot or inside, would we eat or just sit and talk, would other people be staring at us wondering what the fuss was, would Ella come along - would she sit still, would it be okay for Joel to come along - would it just be her, or her husband, her kids - oh my - talk about a whirlwind. And it was only Saturday and we weren't meeting until Tuesday.
It's only Saturday.... to be continued!!
Friday, February 08, 2013
The Ultimate Family Reunion - Part 2 "The Call"
The Story continues....
Friday morning I got up finished packing, said my goodbyes to my family and headed to Tastefully Simple on Tour in Baltimore MD with Ashley (my team member and new youth pastor's wife). We were on the road by 8:45 am and ready for some girl time in the city - lunch at Cheesecake Factory and a great conference. As we got into the heart of the city and traffic my GPS which is also my phone started spouting off directions as my phone was ringing with a call from California. I had to answer - this was the call I was waiting for - but ... I didn't know where I was going so I answered quickly and asked if I could call her back when I could get off the next exit. She said you will want to get off asap! Little did I know that it is also illegal to talk on the phone while driving in MD (so sorry MDPD, I won't let it happen again). We had to drive for what seemed like 10 miles to find an exit so we pulled into this little run down gas station (which just happened to have a Wells Fargo ATM which Ashley was looking for) It was a little sketchy but I figured God was going to keep us safe! So I called Bonnie and she told me her name was Nancy! A name - it may sound so strange but knowing a name was such a new thing - in my mind she was always a question, a thought, a mysterious woman that I was not sure if I would ever meet, so a name made it real! And she said I have siblings - oh my - this just keeps getting more and more excitingly overwhelming..... and Bonnie said she is waiting by the phone for you to call................
Waiting by the phone - I am at a gas station in the city - I have to get to the conference, we have a lunch all set up - how do I call her now.... I don't want to call say hello and say I have to go... that wouldn't be very nice at all..... How do I tell her I want to talk to her but my day is insane.... and if it were me and I was waiting by the phone and no one called I would be worrying all day - doesn't she want to talk to me, maybe she isn't going to call.... oh my - what to do????????
So I did what ever good wife does and I called my husband and asked him the ultimate favor - can you call my birthmother and let her know I will call this afternoon..... what a jem - he said yes! And even better he videoed himself calling her..... (however between you and me I still haven't watched the whole thing because he was all choked up and I was around a bunch of people and trying to hold it all together) so it is still on my phone waiting to be watched!
So we got to our hotel, went to lunch and at lunch I realized - my phone is dying I only have 20% left and my charger is back at the hotel but Joel told her I would call her at 1pm. Thankfully Ashley knew a few tricks to helping my battery last longer. Our cheesecake came at 1pm and i didn't even finish my whole piece (so you know I was nervous, because cheesecake is my favorite!) I walked around the mall to see if I could find a place to talk but nothing seemed private enough so I bundled up and went out to sit on the pier (perfect until this really load boat kept coming back and forth right in front of me, if I moved he moved, not real happy with that guy, didn't he realize I was calling my birthmom for the first time EVER!!!!
So I dialed the phone and said this was Jana Snyder - Bonnie had given her my name so thankfully I didn't have to break the news to her that I was her daughter - I think that would have been even more difficult. Many people have asked what I said, what she said, what we talked about, but I can honestly say it was so surreal and a bit overwhelming that I don't actually remember all the details - I only had a half hour to talk before we needed to head back to the conference. I told her about my family, and she about hers, she told me about her blood clotting disorder (the same one I have) I asked about my birthfather (who died of MS) and she didn't know too much as they didn't stay together when she had me. She told me how much she loved me and thought about me, and prayed for me..... and I for her. And we talked about getting on facebook to see pictures and set up a time to get together.
To confirm what Joel says about me - I am guarded - I knew the only way I could have this conversation was in a guarded fashion as I had no time to process any of this and being surrounded by hundreds of TS ladies was not helping me display my outwardly emotional side as you can imagine.
What was it like you ask? Surreal, exciting, overwhelming, and oh my goodness I can't believe this is happening (is that an emotion, if not it should be)
TO BE CONTINUED........
Friday morning I got up finished packing, said my goodbyes to my family and headed to Tastefully Simple on Tour in Baltimore MD with Ashley (my team member and new youth pastor's wife). We were on the road by 8:45 am and ready for some girl time in the city - lunch at Cheesecake Factory and a great conference. As we got into the heart of the city and traffic my GPS which is also my phone started spouting off directions as my phone was ringing with a call from California. I had to answer - this was the call I was waiting for - but ... I didn't know where I was going so I answered quickly and asked if I could call her back when I could get off the next exit. She said you will want to get off asap! Little did I know that it is also illegal to talk on the phone while driving in MD (so sorry MDPD, I won't let it happen again). We had to drive for what seemed like 10 miles to find an exit so we pulled into this little run down gas station (which just happened to have a Wells Fargo ATM which Ashley was looking for) It was a little sketchy but I figured God was going to keep us safe! So I called Bonnie and she told me her name was Nancy! A name - it may sound so strange but knowing a name was such a new thing - in my mind she was always a question, a thought, a mysterious woman that I was not sure if I would ever meet, so a name made it real! And she said I have siblings - oh my - this just keeps getting more and more excitingly overwhelming..... and Bonnie said she is waiting by the phone for you to call................
Waiting by the phone - I am at a gas station in the city - I have to get to the conference, we have a lunch all set up - how do I call her now.... I don't want to call say hello and say I have to go... that wouldn't be very nice at all..... How do I tell her I want to talk to her but my day is insane.... and if it were me and I was waiting by the phone and no one called I would be worrying all day - doesn't she want to talk to me, maybe she isn't going to call.... oh my - what to do????????
So I did what ever good wife does and I called my husband and asked him the ultimate favor - can you call my birthmother and let her know I will call this afternoon..... what a jem - he said yes! And even better he videoed himself calling her..... (however between you and me I still haven't watched the whole thing because he was all choked up and I was around a bunch of people and trying to hold it all together) so it is still on my phone waiting to be watched!
So we got to our hotel, went to lunch and at lunch I realized - my phone is dying I only have 20% left and my charger is back at the hotel but Joel told her I would call her at 1pm. Thankfully Ashley knew a few tricks to helping my battery last longer. Our cheesecake came at 1pm and i didn't even finish my whole piece (so you know I was nervous, because cheesecake is my favorite!) I walked around the mall to see if I could find a place to talk but nothing seemed private enough so I bundled up and went out to sit on the pier (perfect until this really load boat kept coming back and forth right in front of me, if I moved he moved, not real happy with that guy, didn't he realize I was calling my birthmom for the first time EVER!!!!
So I dialed the phone and said this was Jana Snyder - Bonnie had given her my name so thankfully I didn't have to break the news to her that I was her daughter - I think that would have been even more difficult. Many people have asked what I said, what she said, what we talked about, but I can honestly say it was so surreal and a bit overwhelming that I don't actually remember all the details - I only had a half hour to talk before we needed to head back to the conference. I told her about my family, and she about hers, she told me about her blood clotting disorder (the same one I have) I asked about my birthfather (who died of MS) and she didn't know too much as they didn't stay together when she had me. She told me how much she loved me and thought about me, and prayed for me..... and I for her. And we talked about getting on facebook to see pictures and set up a time to get together.
To confirm what Joel says about me - I am guarded - I knew the only way I could have this conversation was in a guarded fashion as I had no time to process any of this and being surrounded by hundreds of TS ladies was not helping me display my outwardly emotional side as you can imagine.
What was it like you ask? Surreal, exciting, overwhelming, and oh my goodness I can't believe this is happening (is that an emotion, if not it should be)
TO BE CONTINUED........
The Ultimate Family Reunion - Part 1
I have been wanted to sit down and write all week long, however this has to be the busiest week I have had in months....perfect timing for a surprise family reunion right?
Let me start at the beginning to give a little background. Many of you know from posts in the past that I am adopted. But what you my not know is that when I was 18 I decided I wanted to search for my birthparents (but my birthmother specifically) Pennsylvania has closed adoptions which make it very difficult to search so after trying for a few months I moved on. Throughout my life there have been times where my mom has encouraged me to put an add in the paper (when I lived in Clearfield) or ask the courts to open my files since I had MS and a blood clotting disorder.... it just didn't seem like the right time as my life was already overwhelming with so many other things. So instead of searching actively I just prayed, and wondered.... what was she like, I was confident that she loved me, but I just wondered how much she thought about me, did she miss me, was it her decision or was the decision made for her.... and so many more questions that are less meaningful but yet I wondered like - does she twirl her hair like me, is she left handed, and many more.
So this past month was sanctity of life month - it is always a special time for me as I think about her and pray for her. One of my friends works at an adoption agency in CA so I wanted to do something for her organization so I offered to do a Tastefully Simple Fundraiser for her and donate all my profit to support what she was doing! As I was closing out her party last week she asked me what my adoption story was.... well I didn't really have time to share it that night so I waited until Wednesday and sent her the message. She asked me if I had ever searched and mentioned I had but no luck and hiring someone was way out of our budget. She then said we have a woman here that will search as part of a her ministry - really? Wow that is cool - so she connected us - I thought it would take a couple days to hear from her but instead it was minutes.
She asked me to send her any papers I had that might help with the search so and so I sent her what I knew and would scan the rest in the morning. So Thursday came and I was off to school so Joel went in my papers for me - she got them around 2pm our time (yes the time is significant) Around 4 pm our time I was meeting with a client but recieved 3 messages from Bonnie (the searcher) So when I got home I was rushing to get all my coupons ready for our late night shopping trip - feeding Ella a quick dinner so I thought I will call her back to see what she was missing from my papers (that is why I thought she was calling) She answered the phone and proceeded to say, are you sitting down......
Yes I am sitting - good because I found your birthmother, and your birthfather died recently from MS - oh my goodness - joy and sadness in one moment - shock in the next..... now what - seriously two hours.... but I guess if you know where to look and you find out she has been looking for you for years it makes sense. Next step - Bonnie will call and try to make contact with her and I wait to hear back from Bonnie...... and I have to grocery shop, put four parties into the computer and pack for Baltimore. I was a rambling mess - Joel didn't even know yet since he was at a game - let's just say I was in a whirlwind all night long - I am not sure he even knew what to say - I was in shock! No news came back as I laid in bed trying to sleep, but it was late and I was leaving the next morning so maybe if I didn't hear until Monday the timing would be better.
To Be Continued........
Let me start at the beginning to give a little background. Many of you know from posts in the past that I am adopted. But what you my not know is that when I was 18 I decided I wanted to search for my birthparents (but my birthmother specifically) Pennsylvania has closed adoptions which make it very difficult to search so after trying for a few months I moved on. Throughout my life there have been times where my mom has encouraged me to put an add in the paper (when I lived in Clearfield) or ask the courts to open my files since I had MS and a blood clotting disorder.... it just didn't seem like the right time as my life was already overwhelming with so many other things. So instead of searching actively I just prayed, and wondered.... what was she like, I was confident that she loved me, but I just wondered how much she thought about me, did she miss me, was it her decision or was the decision made for her.... and so many more questions that are less meaningful but yet I wondered like - does she twirl her hair like me, is she left handed, and many more.
So this past month was sanctity of life month - it is always a special time for me as I think about her and pray for her. One of my friends works at an adoption agency in CA so I wanted to do something for her organization so I offered to do a Tastefully Simple Fundraiser for her and donate all my profit to support what she was doing! As I was closing out her party last week she asked me what my adoption story was.... well I didn't really have time to share it that night so I waited until Wednesday and sent her the message. She asked me if I had ever searched and mentioned I had but no luck and hiring someone was way out of our budget. She then said we have a woman here that will search as part of a her ministry - really? Wow that is cool - so she connected us - I thought it would take a couple days to hear from her but instead it was minutes.
She asked me to send her any papers I had that might help with the search so and so I sent her what I knew and would scan the rest in the morning. So Thursday came and I was off to school so Joel went in my papers for me - she got them around 2pm our time (yes the time is significant) Around 4 pm our time I was meeting with a client but recieved 3 messages from Bonnie (the searcher) So when I got home I was rushing to get all my coupons ready for our late night shopping trip - feeding Ella a quick dinner so I thought I will call her back to see what she was missing from my papers (that is why I thought she was calling) She answered the phone and proceeded to say, are you sitting down......
Yes I am sitting - good because I found your birthmother, and your birthfather died recently from MS - oh my goodness - joy and sadness in one moment - shock in the next..... now what - seriously two hours.... but I guess if you know where to look and you find out she has been looking for you for years it makes sense. Next step - Bonnie will call and try to make contact with her and I wait to hear back from Bonnie...... and I have to grocery shop, put four parties into the computer and pack for Baltimore. I was a rambling mess - Joel didn't even know yet since he was at a game - let's just say I was in a whirlwind all night long - I am not sure he even knew what to say - I was in shock! No news came back as I laid in bed trying to sleep, but it was late and I was leaving the next morning so maybe if I didn't hear until Monday the timing would be better.
To Be Continued........
Friday, January 11, 2013
Dealing with Disappointment
Life is filled with disappointments, life is filled with joys..... which way do you see life? It is kinda the cup half empty or the cup half full scenario taken to a whole new level. You see each day you have a choice, actually each moment of your day you have a choice in how you will respond to things.
Today I have a disappointment in my life and as I sit and reflect on it (lots of time to think today as I have three free periods subbing at school today) I am walking through some of the questions that I would talk about with my clients and I keep coming to end and asking myself the question... am I going to choose to let the disappointment rule my day or am I going to choose joy, self-control, patience, which will it be.
Are you dealing with a disappointment? If so, I encourage you to ask yourself a few questions:
1. Why am I disappointed? Is it because I had a plan in mind and it didn't go my way. Is it that someone made a decision that hurt me and it was beyond my control. Are you frustrated with God because he isn't giving you something you want. At the core of your disappointment can you figure out the main cause?
2. What emotions or physical responses are coming out of this disappointment? Are you angry, depressed, concerned, disconnected, sad.... For some people disappointment causes harm emotions, for others it causes withdraw and depressed feelings.
3. Have you prayed about it? I am often quick to be disappointed and frustrated but if I am honest I am not always quick to pray - I stew over things for sometimes days before I get to the place that I remember I haven't prayed about it.
4. Have you already made a choice how this event will affect you? Every moment of every day we must make choices - we choose what we will wear, whether we will eat breakfast, if so what we will have. Life is filled with choices and how we respond to disappointments is a choice. Not an easy choice but a choice none the less.
Choosing joy in the midst of frustration and disappointment can only happen when we are willing to turn it over to God. On my own I will choose frustration because of my human sinful nature... it is easier to hold a grudge than to forgive, it is easier to be angry than to be patient! But consider making a choice to do the more difficult - choosing to find joy in the midst of the disappointment. Choosing to find peace in the midst of chaos.
Today you have a choice - which will you choose! With God's Help I will choose JOY!!! Take a few minutes and listen to this song called Unspeakable Joy - hope it speaks to your heart as it has spoken to mine.
Today I have a disappointment in my life and as I sit and reflect on it (lots of time to think today as I have three free periods subbing at school today) I am walking through some of the questions that I would talk about with my clients and I keep coming to end and asking myself the question... am I going to choose to let the disappointment rule my day or am I going to choose joy, self-control, patience, which will it be.
Are you dealing with a disappointment? If so, I encourage you to ask yourself a few questions:
1. Why am I disappointed? Is it because I had a plan in mind and it didn't go my way. Is it that someone made a decision that hurt me and it was beyond my control. Are you frustrated with God because he isn't giving you something you want. At the core of your disappointment can you figure out the main cause?
2. What emotions or physical responses are coming out of this disappointment? Are you angry, depressed, concerned, disconnected, sad.... For some people disappointment causes harm emotions, for others it causes withdraw and depressed feelings.
3. Have you prayed about it? I am often quick to be disappointed and frustrated but if I am honest I am not always quick to pray - I stew over things for sometimes days before I get to the place that I remember I haven't prayed about it.
4. Have you already made a choice how this event will affect you? Every moment of every day we must make choices - we choose what we will wear, whether we will eat breakfast, if so what we will have. Life is filled with choices and how we respond to disappointments is a choice. Not an easy choice but a choice none the less.
Choosing joy in the midst of frustration and disappointment can only happen when we are willing to turn it over to God. On my own I will choose frustration because of my human sinful nature... it is easier to hold a grudge than to forgive, it is easier to be angry than to be patient! But consider making a choice to do the more difficult - choosing to find joy in the midst of the disappointment. Choosing to find peace in the midst of chaos.
Today you have a choice - which will you choose! With God's Help I will choose JOY!!! Take a few minutes and listen to this song called Unspeakable Joy - hope it speaks to your heart as it has spoken to mine.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Christmas Song #25 - O Rejoice!
Rejoice!!! Our Savior has been born!!! Jesus is the reason we Celebrate this day called Christmas! May your day be filled with reminders of God's goodness!
Come, come and behold the babe
Come, see what the Lord has done
Come, heaven has made a way
See, see in the east a star
Come, now as the angels sing
All glory be unto God
Born, born is the Saving King
O rejoice, rejoice
Heaven sings tonight
Rejoice, the Lord is come
Still, still is the weary world
Still, but for the humble praise
Hear, hear as the shepherds sing
Join, join as the drummer plays
Fall, fall on your knees all men
Joy, joy to the world this day
Here, find ye the word as flesh
Here, here on a bed of hay
Monday, December 24, 2012
Christmas Song - #24 - Adore/Christmas Eve
Celebrate the coming King today! Christmas Eve!
Endless nights they traveled to follow the star
They did not find a palace, just a humble village home
And searching for a king, but finding a child, no crown, no throne
Still they bowed down
Come let us adore him
Oh, come let us adore him
Oh, come let us adore him
Expectation turned to mystery
For nothing was like anything they dreamed
Anticipating the royal and those honored by this world
Instead they gazed in the awe-struck eyes of a lowly peasant girl
Holding her child
Come let us adore him
Oh, come let us adore him
Oh, come let us adore him
The brilliant gold, the fragrant myrrh, the costly frankincense
Placed before him
Come let us adore him
Oh, come let us adore him
Oh, come let us adore him
Christ, the Lord
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Christmas Song #23 - Winter Snow
Winter Snow is a song from Chris Tomlin's Christmas project featuring a new artist Audrey Assad. Wow what a beautiful voice. Enjoy this song as you enjoy a cup of hot chocolate by your fire (that is if you have one, if not close your eyes and imagine one) The whole idea of the song is how Jesus comes not in a forceful way like a mighty storm but yet like the gentle falling of the winter snow.
Could've come like a mighty stormWith all the strength of a hurricaneYou could've come like a forest fireWith the power of Heaven in Your flame
But You came like a winter snowQuiet and soft and slowFalling from the sky in the nightTo the earth below
You could've swept in like a tidal waveOr an ocean to ravish our heartsYou could have come through like a roaring floodTo wipe away the things we've scarred
But You came like a winter snow, yes, You didYou were quiet, You were soft and slowFalling from the sky in the nightTo the earth below
Ooh no, Your voice wasn't in a bush burningNo, Your voice wasn't in a rushing windIt was still, it was small, it was hidden
Oh, You came like a winter snowQuiet and soft and slowFalling from the sky in the nightTo the earth below
Falling, oh yeah, to the earth belowYou came falling from the sky in the nightTo the earth below
But You came like a winter snowQuiet and soft and slowFalling from the sky in the nightTo the earth below
You could've swept in like a tidal waveOr an ocean to ravish our heartsYou could have come through like a roaring floodTo wipe away the things we've scarred
But You came like a winter snow, yes, You didYou were quiet, You were soft and slowFalling from the sky in the nightTo the earth below
Ooh no, Your voice wasn't in a bush burningNo, Your voice wasn't in a rushing windIt was still, it was small, it was hidden
Oh, You came like a winter snowQuiet and soft and slowFalling from the sky in the nightTo the earth below
Falling, oh yeah, to the earth belowYou came falling from the sky in the nightTo the earth below
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Christmas Song #22 - Christmas Time
This song is one that I listen to time and time again when I just want to sit back and "hear" the joy of Christmas - in life I often see things that bring me joy, but as a lover of music, I can also experience joy by listening and this song makes me experience the feeling of joy in my heart. I hope and pray that today will be filled with a deep joy of knowing Christ!
Ring Christmas bells
Ring them loud with the message bringing
Peace on the earth
Tidings of good cheer
Come carolers
Come and join with the angels singing
Joy to the world
Christmas time is here again
Children gather around and listen
You'll hear the sound
Of angels filling the sky
Telling everyone
Christmas time is here
Ring Christmas bells
Ring them loud with the message bringing
Peace on the earth
Tidings of good cheer
Come carolers
Come and join with the angels singing
Joy to the world
Christmas time is here again
Loved ones close to our hearts
and strangers in lands afar
Together share in the joy
Emmanuel
To tell the world
He has come to dwell
The time is near
With one voice
Let the world rejoice
Christmas time is here
Ring Christmas bells
Ring them loud with the message bringing
Peace on the earth
Tidings of good cheer
Come carolers
Come and join with the angels singing
Joy to the world
Christmas time is here again
Children gather around and listen
You'll hear the sound
Of angels filling the sky
It's Christmas time is here again
Friday, December 21, 2012
Christmas Song - #21 I Believe
What a powerful song about the Christmas Story..... it is breathtaking to hear her voice sing the scripture's story of what Jesus came to do. Listen, watch, reflect, and be encouraged to know that Jesus came to save you and me from sin's curse!
In a land far away
Time stood still
Long ago
There were shepherds in fields
Or at least this is how
The story goes
The story goes
Woman withchild
And an inn with no room
Born in a manger
For telling it tomb
This is how
The story goes
But it is more than a fable
And it's more than a fairytale
And more than my mind can conceive
I believe
The Wiseman saw
The baby boy the angels
called the son of God
Heaven's child
The great I am
Born to take away my sins
through nailed pierced hands
Emmanuel has come
I believe
Two thousand years
Still the story lives on
God's gift to us
Sent to earth Wrapped in flesh
His only son
His only son
And the heartbeat of heaven
Confounded our wisdom
But it's still the simple truth
That sets me free
I believe
The Wiseman saw
The baby boy
the angels called the son of God Heaven's child
The great I am
Born to take away my sins
through nailed pierced hands
Emmanuel has come
And I believe
Precious child How can it be that
God's great plan
For history
Would send you to
The lonely tree
That you would come
For one like me
I believe In a cross
I believe he came For one,
he came for all
Heavens child became a man
Gave his life for me
In spite of all I am
I believe
I believe
Oh I believe
Christmas lives in me
I believe
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Christmas Song - #20 From A Distance Christmas Version
This is a shout out to a great friend and MC co-hort - Cathy Short Weaver! She has been faithfully watching all the Christmas videos and suggested this favorite from Bette Midler. I had no idea that she had redone this in a Christmas version. With all the tragedies and hurt this holiday season, we do have much to be thankful for, God is still God and He is still good - because God doesn't change! Praying for the peace and the hope of the holidays to fill your season!
From a distance
The world looks blue and green
And the snow-capped mountains white
From a distance
The ocean meets the stream
And the eagle takes to flight
From a distance
There is harmony
And it echoes through the land
And it's the voice of hope
And it's the voice of peace
It's the voice of every man
From a distance
The world sings 'Silent Night'
Like a soft embracing psalm
From a distance (From a distance)
The words sound sweet and clear
And all is bright and calm
From a distance
We are instruments
Marching in a common band
Playing songs of hope
Playing songs of peace
They're the songs of every man
Chorus:
God is watching us (God is watching)
God is watching us (I know he's watching)
God is watching us
From a distance
Gloria
In excelsis deo
From a distance
You, you look like my friend
Even though we are at war
From a distance
I just I cannot comprehend
What all this fighting's for
From a distance
There is harmony
Do you hear it echo
through
The land
It's the song of joy
It's the song of peace
It's the heart of every man
In the season of
Universal love
This is the song of every man
Chorus (2x)
Oh come let us adore him
Joy to the world
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Christmas Song #19 - Light of the Season
A few years ago I had the great privilege of doing a Group Workcamp in Brighton TN with an amazing group of Red Shirt staff. One of the great folks that I was blessed to work with was Zach Taylor - he is an amazing musician. I have been to a lot of camps and even been a song leader at a few, never have I seen any with the talent and the ability to bring out talent in the students than I have with Zach! Check out all his great music at www.wzacharytaylor.com
The song featured today is called Light of the season - I think you will be blessed as you listen and celebrate Jesus as the light of the world! And be reminded not to forget that he is the light of the season!
The song featured today is called Light of the season - I think you will be blessed as you listen and celebrate Jesus as the light of the world! And be reminded not to forget that he is the light of the season!
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Christmas Song #18 - A Christmas Medley Jars of Clay
So when I started this series I said that I was going to choose non-traditional Christmas songs - well... if you will grant me a little grace on today's selection - they are doing more than one song, but I just loved this video with the lights and the message that he shared... and I have to say Jars of Clay do my favorite version of Drummer Boy - and this live acoustic version rocks. Hope you will enjoy it - and take a moment to reflect on just coming to God as you are.... plain simple you - come as you are!
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