WHAT WE REALLY NEED: The Story Behind the Song

As I was preparing for one of our monthly ladies ministry meetings, I was pondering the topic that we were going to be studying for that month:  The Promise of Provision.   The Lord had been giving me a new song each month and I was praying for another one! My goal for this month’s song was to show that what we need and what we want are two different things. I began to think about the things that we need in order to live...of course there are the basics of food, water, clothing and shelter. Then there are the things we “think” we need…make-up, pedicures, manicures, hair-do’s, new clothes, new shoes, new cars, bigger houses…you fill in the blank.

As a songwriter (I think I can call myself that now?) I have learned to write about what I know.  Well, at that very moment, I knew I needed a dye job in a BAD way…my gray was shining.  And I knew that I had gotten my toes painted this really pretty teal color, but it did not really go with any of my shoes…and so from that thought process the first verse of “What We Really Need” was formed!  I wanted to show how silly we are with what WE think that our “needs” are. 

Now the second verse did not go the way I imagined that it would…the Lord took it to a different level.  Opposite from the first verse that showed how silly we are with our wants (that we insist are needs), the second verse shows that some people REALLY do need new hairdos, shoes, cars and houses…but for reasons beyond their control.  The woman fighting breast cancer and taking chemo does NEED hair, the homeless girl on the street does NEED new shoes, the old man that lost his home in a hurricane does NEED a new house, and the man whose wife left him for another man and took everything he had does NEED a new car…but are all those “things” what they REALLY need? 

The Lord showed me that no matter what situation we are in, FIRST we need Him.  Those worldly things will not mean anything if we do not have Him.  HE is our healer, HE is our provider, our rescuer, our comforter…we are to seek HIM first!  He gave us great advice on this subject in Matthew 6:25-33…

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in his entire splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

If we trust in Him, He will take care of ALL of our needs. The chorus of the song is this…”If you take a look around you’ll see that what you want and “think” you need will never be enough to satisfy.  The only way to find contentment in a world that’s so self-centered is to see beyond yourself and realize, that what you REALLY need is Him.”

I never intended for this song to be recorded! I definitely never even considered it for my CD!  But on the way to practice the night before we started recording, the Lord impressed upon me to put it on there.  When I originally sang it, I did it very slow.  But He changed that, too!  By the time I added the voice to the music, it had a Calypso beat complete with Bongos and a Ukulele!!!   It is a fun song that we had a great time recording.  (I even got to play the Bongos (thank you to Eli Hunt for the quick lesson!), listen for me at the very end!)   Even though the second verse deals with some sad situations, He wants you to know…He is ALL you need and if you have Him, you will be HAPPY!!!   

I don’t know who you are…but Jesus included this song on my CD just for YOU!!  I pray that you are ministered to and forever changed by it.

HE CARES: The Story Behind the Song

One Sunday night we were sitting in church and discussing how best to minister to the youth of our area.  One lady spoke up and said that many of our teenagers struggle because their parents don’t care about them or want them.  Most of their rebellion comes from trying to get attention.  In a small quite whisper, I heard a little girl on the pew beside me say, “My mother didn’t want me.”  She never looked up from the picture she was drawing, so I wasn’t sure if that was what I had really heard her say.  After the service I asked her to repeat what she had said.  Again, she said, “My mother didn’t want me.”   Not knowing any details of her life, I said what God laid on my heart to say.  I told her that even though she didn’t live with her birth mother, God had placed her in our church full of mother’s that would always love her.  I told her she was very blessed to be where God had placed her… 

When I got home that evening, our conversation weighed so heavily on my heart.  God has placed her in our church.  It is our job to show her that He cares about her.  How many little girls and boys in this world feel like no one wants them; that no one loves them or cares about them?   Those same little girls and boys become teenagers and start to act out to get attention.  Will we love them, or send them away?  Those same teenagers become adults with abandonment issues that cannot cope with loss because they have had so much already.  Will we console them and comfort them, or will we ignore them? 

This is where my heart was when I wrote, “He Cares”.    In the song, there is a little girl, a teenage boy, a hurting wife and grieving man needing someone to care.  The chorus gives the answer, “But what they can’t see and what they don’t know…is that they have someone who loves them, more than they could ever know.  He feels all their pain, He holds all their tears, and He wants to be their Father, He wants them to know He cares.”

But who will show them that He cares?  We are supposed to be His hands and feet.           1 Corinthians 12:25-27 NIV – “…its parts should have equal concern for each other.   If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.  Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”  It is our job as the church to show them. The end of the song says, “WE have to tell them. WE have to show, that there is someone who loves them, more than they could ever know.  He will heal their pain, He’ll dry all their tears…and He will be their Father, He will be their Comforter, He will be their Everything…we’ve got to show them that He cares.” 

1Peter 5:6-7 NKJV – “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

Marriage Takes Three

September 16, 1989…sometimes it seems so far away, sometimes it seems like only yesterday.  That is the day I married the most gorgeous man I had ever laid eyes on!  He was not only easy on the eyes…he was the kindest, most generous man I had ever met.    We dated for a whole year and never even had one cross word.

We were so very much in love that we wanted to get married above all else.  So here we were, two eighteen-year-olds with love in our eyes and not one penny between us…starting our journey together. 

As a wedding gift, a lady from our church, Pat Green, gave us a poem.  I hung it on the wall of our bedroom and memorized it because I saw it every day.  The words of that poem spoke such truth into our lives.  The poem was titled “Married Takes Three”…

I once thought marriage,

Took just two to make a go,

But now I am convinced,

It takes the Lord, also

For not one marriage fails

When Christ is asked to enter

As two lovers come together

With Jesus at the center

But marriage seldom thrives,
And homes are incomplete,
Till He is welcomed there
To help avoid defeat.
In homes where Christ is first,
It's obvious to see,
Those unions really work,
For marriage still takes three.

Author Unknown

And that is the secret.  That is why so many marriages fail.  If it had not been for Jesus in our lives, I know we would not be married today.  But against all odds, and ONLY through the grace of God…these two 18-year-old, starry eyed teenagers created a great life together and raised two amazing children.

We had to learn to depend on the Lord and each other because we didn’t have anything else!  I will not tell you it has always been easy…but I will tell you it has always been worth it!  The Lord has blessed us with 23 wonderful years together and I pray He will give us many more!! 

Shelter: The Story Behind the Song

 In March 2012, we began a monthly Women’s Ministry called L.I.L.Y. (Ladies Influencing Ladies for You) Pad Ministries at our church.  The vision of the ministry was for ladies of our surrounding area to come together once a month to worship and be ministered to.  Our leader, Dorothy, had a desire to strengthen women in their faith so that they could, in turn, have an influence on those around them.

Months earlier, as she began to pray about this ministry, she had asked the Lord to bring her who she needed to fill each position.  When she started praying, we had never even met.  God brought my family to Calvary Baptist Church in February 2012.  Then He impressed upon both Dorothy and I that my part in the L.I.L.Y. Pad Ministry was to be the Worship Leader. 

As I was preparing for the first meeting, all I knew about the study was the title, “The Shelter of God’s Promises”, and a scripture Psalm 91.  I began to pray about what songs the Lord wanted me to lead and He started showing me a picture of a woman standing under an umbrella (I would later find out that the picture for the study was….a woman standing under an umbrella…goose bumps anyone?)   But instead of actual rain falling on her, it was the hopelessness, regret and shame of her past “raining” down on her.  And after reading Psalm 91, I began to write the theme song for the study:  Shelter.

It is a song that emphasizes every aspect of Psalm 91, but makes it relevant to every person that has ever felt like God couldn’t love them anymore.  In my own life I have felt that God couldn’t possibly use me after things I had done in my past.  The opening words of the song, “I am standing in the rain, of hopelessness, regret and shame, looking for a place of shelter in this storm”, is a place that I had been before and I knew others would relate to. 

“Shelter” is a song of hope.  Those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High will rest in His shadow and will be covered with His mighty wings.   What an amazing promise!!  I absolutely love singing this song.   It makes me feel so loved and protected!   When I hear the ladies of L.I.L.Y Pad singing this song at the top of their lungs…the words that God gave to me…well, I just cannot describe how amazing it is.  I get goose bumps every time, so I know the Holy Spirit is there with us when we sing.   I pray that you feel Him when you listen to the song!!     

He is Strong: The Story Behind the Song

In September 2011, my husband, Chris, was having extreme back pain. He could not stand up straight and was having trouble even walking.  After going to the ER and seeing our family physician, he was referred to a specialist.  There he was told that he had Degenerative Disc Disease.  At that time we weren’t sure what that entailed and wondered if he would even be able to work or maintain a normal life.    Because of his age, they did not want to do surgery and he was in excruciating pain most of the time.   

So many questions were running through my head as I was (again) driving to work one morning.  Will my husband be permanently disabled?  How will we survive if he can’t work?  How can he live with such terrible pain?  Will he ever be able to enjoy life again?  I was crying out to God and begging him to heal my husband.  As I was praying…I began to sing the words of my favorite childhood song, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the bible tells me so.  Little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong.”  That was my answer.  Somehow through all of the pain and weakness, Jesus was not only going to give His strength to my husband, He was going to carry all of our burdens.     

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV - "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

The song “He is Strong” came from my encounter with the Lord that morning. We don’t always understand why pain and sickness happen to those we love, but just like Paul talked about in 2 Corinthians, sometimes we have to experience weakness in order for God to show us His strength. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV – “But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

The song begins with the simple words of “Jesus Loves Me” and builds to the chorus that He gave me that morning, “He is strong, He is strong. We are weak, but He is strong.  He carries our burdens, in His outstretched arms.  We are weak, but He is strong.”

We are still believing and praying for complete healing for Chris’ back. And even though he still deals with pain most days, the Lord has helped him continue to work and provide for our family.  In the midst of everything, He has also called him into Youth ministry.  Every day is a blessing from God and we are so thankful that He carries us through in His strong arms.    

1 Peter 5:10 NIV - And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

You Are Here: The Story Behind the Song

One morning, I was driving to work and for some reason I was thinking about the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”.  It is one of my favorite movies of all time.  In the movie, the main character, George Bailey, (after a series of events that leaves him hopeless) decides he wants to commit suicide because he feels like everyone, including his family, would be better off if he was dead. 

But God intervenes, and sends an angel down to show George what life would have been like if he had never been born.  He was shown how important his life really was to everyone that he came into contact with. If he had not been born, it would have altered the lives of everyone around him, and not in a good way.   

So I just began to write based on the emotions that George Bailey was feeling when he was at his lowest point, about to jump from that bridge.  I also began to think about other people that I know personally that felt like they couldn’t overcome their past mistakes.  So many times, I have heard people say, “This world would be better off without me”, or “I wish I had never been born”. 

The song, “You Are Here” was birthed from there.  We are surrounded by hurting and hopeless people.  They don’t realize that God never makes mistakes.  Every person that has ever been born and every baby that may not even make it out of the womb has a purpose.  I believe that with all of my heart.  

Part of the song says “You were formed in your mother’s womb by the hands of God.  There’s no one else in this world just like you.  Don’t you ever feel that you don’t have a purpose in this life; you are here because the Lord has plans for you.”   If you did not have a purpose, you would not be here.  It’s that simple.

I pray that this song renews hope, touches lives and opens hearts to the truth of why we are here.  He has great plans for each of us.  It’s up to us to figure out what they are. 

Psalm 139:13-16 NIV – “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

Psalm 138:8 NIV – “The LORD will fulfill [his purpose] for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever--do not abandon the works of your hands.”

Jeremiah29:11 NIV – “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

The Question

The last couple of days, I have felt an urgency like never before to ask my friends and loved ones “THE QUESTION”.  If you died today, where would you go?

I am certainly not your judge.  Only God can judge your heart.  But I do know that the bible says we will “know them by their fruit” (Matthew 7:19-20)…..and some of you are not very fruity!

Something to think about:  From GotQuestions.org

“True saving faith is always manifested by good works and a life that desires to live in obedience to God. Ephesians 2:8-10 makes it very clear that works do not save us but that we are saved “for good works which God prepared beforehand that we would walk in them.” When we are truly born again you will have hearts that are transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit where God’s law is written so that we might walk in His statutes and judgments. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Faith without works is dead because it comes from a heart that has not been regenerated by God. It is an empty profession of faith from someone to whom Christ will say, “I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.”

I have had times in my life after I became a Christian when I was not living for the Lord.  But during those times, I was miserable with conviction from the Holy Spirit living within me.  If you feel that way, that is a good thing.  That means you have Him!

But if you are a carnal Christian living in sin and selfishness, and you have no conviction or remorse, you may need to examine yourself. You may not actually have a personal relationship with Jesus…and that is a very frightening place to be.     

This life is temporary.  We are NOT guaranteed tomorrow.  I want to spend Eternity with all of you.

Please, check your heart.  Examine your fruit.  Jesus wants to have a relationship with you, just like you want to have a relationship with your children.  But even more so, He wants to save you from eternal pain and torture.  He wants you to have an abundant life!  He died for you to have that life. 

I am here for you.  I will help you in any way that I can.  My heart aches for you to know the joy and peace that comes from knowing that you are secure.