Lesson 31: How Great is Our God?

If you have been a regular reader of my blog, the Christian music artist Chris Tomlin keeps popping up.  I really love his music and his story.  He is one year younger than me and just got married in November.  He has collected several Male Artist of the Year awards in the Christian Music realm and is well deserving of all of them.  Chris taught himself how to play guitar at 11 years old after being couched with a case of mono.  Mr. Wikipedia states that he wrote his first worship song by age 14.  Chris entered college with the plan of being a physical therapist and left because he felt God's calling. 

I love stories like that.  I love reading about the people who are in tune enough with God to feel the movement within them and then brave enough to act on it.  God usually richly rewards those individuals.  And for us, we are blessed with Chris Tomlin's music as a result.

The above post is the 2004 song How Great Is Our God.  I really liked this performance that I found on youtube.  It is long, but well worth the seven minute time investment.  It begins with Chris as a solo singer, in a single spotlight, playing an upright Yamaha piano, very softly.  The audience, which looks like a packed house somewhere, is singing along.  How must that feel to hear thousands of believers singing your song? 

You will notice with this song, as with many Christian songs, the lyrics are repeated.  This allows God to put the song in your heart.  A friend of ours, Alan explained this once to us in a simple way.  He said that the first time you sing something, you have to get over yourself singing it and the self consciousness that comes with public singing.  The second time you sing it through, you have to let go of listening to the others around you.  The third time, which is always the charm, is the time in which you sing for your God, with no cares in the world.

The song really picks up strength after the first couple of minutes and you will see the bright lights and the full band behind him.  I also love the lyrics that are on the screen above the stage.  Our church, South Harborcreek United Methodist does that also.  I think when you couple words, music, and human voices, the impact on a soul is deep and lasting.

I saved this post especially for New Year's Day.  All of us are known for making those pesky resolutions from year to year, hoping to have less weight to carry on our frames, cleaner and more organized homes, or become kinder and more tolerant people.  I have tried to do all of the above and last year, even put a twist on things to challenge myself a bit.  I resolved to take up the habit of smoking out of my contempt for anti-smoking laws.  Plus I have that three year old I am raising named Sam that is making my nerves a bit raw.  Maybe there is something to that nicotine that I need to investigate.  Thankfully, I still haven't gotten around to that one either.  The Extra pink bubble gum is serving as a good fill in for the smokes for the time being.  I am going to live to be 100, so I have lots of time to work on that one. 

Are we failures year after year because we never follow through with those January, post holiday, I-am-going-to-turn-over-a-new-leaf resolutions?  Of course not.  We are only human.  We are born weak, but God can make us strong.

Eloise says forget about the resolutions.  You too can become stronger this year simply by putting a song in your heart.  Try listening to some Christian music once in awhile.  Start with this one.  Let a CD play in your car while driving around.  If you have children, by all means, keep it in your home as background music.  What a better way to raise a child than by letting the music of God soak into their souls. 

Begin this first day of 2011 by asking yourself this question:  How great is our God?  Eloise says He's pretty fabulous.  Check Him out.

Happy New Year,
Eloise