When God Shows Up

“God continued, ‘This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you. I’m putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth. From now on, when I form a cloud over the Earth and the rainbow appears in the cloud, I’ll remember my covenant between me and you and everything living, that never again will floodwaters destroy all life. When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I’ll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last living creature on Earth.’” (The Message, Genesis 9:12-16)

Two days before the big day, we arrived at the wedding venue – a lush vineyard in South Georgia. It was raining and not the kind of weather we wanted for our son's and almost daughter-in-law's outdoor wedding.

The wedding party began to arrive, and, in the rain, we unloaded the luggage, the food, the decorations, and everything else that you could possibly need for a wedding weekend.

Despite the weather, our party of wedding participants was excited and joyful. We gathered for a casual dinner when tornado warnings popped up on our phones and televisions.

The mother-of-the-bride and I tried not to imagine the reception tent blowing away or where we were going to hunker down with this tribe of bridesmaids and groomsmen.

Much to our relief, the winds subsided, and the rains stopped. When it was safe, our merry band decided to venture out of our house to see if there was any damage to the vineyard property. We opened the front door, stepped out onto the porch, looked across the field, and to our delight we saw the most beautiful rainbow arching its way across the sky.

This rainbow was unlike any rainbow I had ever seen before. You could see its beginning and its end. It was a breathtaking moment – one of those moments when it feels like God is speaking your name.

Like with Noah long ago, the rainbow was a sign of a covenant between God and his creation – the promise of God’s provision and presence. This rainbow felt like a sign that God was speaking to Chase and Ashlyn. God’s message was not to say that they were more special than any other bride and groom but to remind them of God’s promise to be present with them. It was a reminder that the promises and vows that God makes and that we make to each other are important and binding.

You may be saying to yourself that I read too much into this natural phenomenon of water and light that often occurs after a storm, and maybe you would be right. But if we don’t look for God in these things, then how will God come alive in us? How will God speak to our hearts or encourage our spirits if we don’t look for beauty and promises in this world?

On this wedding weekend, we grabbed hold of this rainbow sign and claimed it for our own. We claimed that God’s banner of presence was over Chase and Ashlyn. We leaned into the rainy weekend and found that showers bring blessings and that between the showers you can stand under rainbows and set off fireworks. Between the vows, the laughter, and the tears, God was present. God was shining the light of love upon us and reminding us that God is with us all the way.

Lenten Playlist - Holy Now

I discovered Peter Mayer’s music about five years ago. This eclectic guitarist who plays lead guitar for Jimmy Buffet and the Coral Reefer Band is more than a rock ‘n’ roller. He is also a very spiritual musician.

As a child, he lived in India with his missionary parents. During those years, he says that he witnessed the love of Jesus while listening to the Indian people sing hymns in their native tongue of Tamil. It is evident that both his western and eastern upbringing has an influence on his music.

Whether it was his rock ‘n’ roll music or his simple guitar-driven anthems, Mayer feels that he was motivated to know that through God’s spirit, “we are all connected to God’s persistent uprising, beyond what we suspect.”

I found something unexpected in Mayer’s music. His soulful uplifting rhythms and thoughtful lyrics are often places that I turn to when I want to be led to the feet of God.

“Holy Now” reminds me that God is everywhere, in all, through all, and for all - that God doesn’t just dwell behind the walls of the church, but also out in the world. So, keep your eyes, ears, and hearts open, you never know where you might find “a little red-winged bird…singing like a scripture verse.”

You can listen to “Holy Now” here.

“Holy Now”

When I was a boy each week Sunday we would go to church Pay attention to the priest And he would read the holy word Consecrate the holy bread Everyone would kneel and bow Today the only difference is Everything is holy now Everything, everything, everything is holy now When I was in Sunday school We would learn about the time Moses split the sea in two And Jesus made the water wine I remember feeling sad Miracles don’t happen still But now I can’t keep track, ‘Cause everything’s a miracle Everything, everything, everything’s a miracle Wine from water is not so small An even better magic trick, is that anything is here at all So the challenging thing becomes Not to look for miracles, but finding where there isn’t one When holy water was rare at best Barely wet my fingertips But now I have to hold my breath Like I’m swimming in a sea of it It used to be a world half there Heaven’s second-rate hand-me-down I walk it with a reverent air ‘Cause everything is holy now Read a questioning child’s face Say it’s not a testament, that’d be very hard to say See another new morning come Say it’s not a sacrament, I tell you that it can’t be done This morning outside I stood Saw a little red-winged bird Shining like a burning bush And singing like a scripture verse Made me want to bow my head I remember when church let out How things have changed since then ‘Cause everything is holy now It used to be a world half there Heaven’s second-rate hand-me-down I walk it with a reverent air ‘Cause everything is holy now ©1999 Peter Mayer Music, BMI

Lenten Playlist

Unlike my soft-hearted husband who tears up easily, especially during the human-interest stories at the conclusion of the evening news, I am not one who comes to tears often. If you see me crying, you know that either my pain is great, or something is deeply touching my soul.

There are a few things that stir my emotions easily. One of those things is music.

You would think that being a musician means that I am always surrounded by music – in the car, in my home, in my office, and all the places in between, but that’s simply not true.

Recently, I have come to prefer silence over casual music listening. After teaching music classes all day, silence is what I desire most of the time.

However, driving home from church on the evening of Ash Wednesday, I decided to pull up my playlist titled, “Spiritual.” It was dusk as I was driving, which is my favorite time of day. The sun had left the sky with an indescribable color, the stars were popping out, and the moon was beginning to show off its glow.

There I was with ashes fresh on my forehead, and that’s when the tears started. At first, it was only a stinging sensation in my eyes, but then they began to roll down my cheeks. I wasn’t feeling lonely or sad. It had been a good day. I knew then that it was the music. It’s always been the music. It seems to touch me in the deepest part of my being.

I don’t know if it was the lyrics, the melody, or the harmonies but this gift of rhythm and sound felt so God-like to me.

A return to my “Spiritual” playlist reminded me of the reason that certain songs have made their way to my list. Some are old favorites like an old friend sitting next to me. Other songs have become new companions that have encouraged me on my journey.

During this season of Lent, I want to share some of the songs from my “Spiritual” playlist with you. I hope you will receive these songs as a gift. Maybe you will sit with them during these days of Lent and make a new friend, or maybe you will allow them to touch a part of your spirit that needs to be reawakened.

Gabriel’s Oboe

Lenten Playlist song number one is “Gabriel’s Oboe.”

To me, “Gabriel’s Oboe” is one of the purest and simplest melodies. I think that if I had to choose only one song to listen to for the rest of my life, this would be the one.

Composer Ennio Morricone wrote “Gabriel’s Oboe” for the movie, The Mission. In the movie, this simple melody is played by Father Gabriel on his oboe. The song was meant to be a bridge between cultures of vastly different languages and customs. Morricone delivered a most beautiful and sublime melody for this purpose. It is a song that needs no words because its melody is pure and full of the mercy and love of God.

You can listen to Gabriel’s Oboe and enjoy some beautiful scenery here.