Lift Your Eyes
This season of life is super-busy right now, but I hope you find encouragement when I remind you that “God is never out-given”.
Genesis 22 tells a beautiful story of a man’s love and reverence for God. Abraham loved God even more than the things he was believing God for. In a life-defining moment, Abraham was willing to make an agonizing sacrifice to God. An in the final moments of this sacrifice, God stops Abraham, convinced of Abraham’s devotion. It says in verse 13 that “…Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram”.
God’s provision is always found when you “lift your eyes”. Lift your eyes off the problem. Lift your eyes off the pain and disappointment. Lift your eyes even off the sacrifice you are offering God. Lift your eyes and expect to see the provision God has long prepared for you, as He reminds you- once again- that He is never out-given.
The pressure you feel right now is quite possibly a life-defining moment in the making. “Lift Your Eyes!”
How can I pray for you?
January Update
Songwriting
In September, I decided to get more consistent about spend weekday morning worshiping God at the piano. I’ve come into work 30 minutes early after dropping the boys off to school. It has become, perhaps, my favorite time of day. Through this process, I have countless song fragments scattered among notebooks, cell phone voicemails, digital recorders, napkins, etc. At the present time, I have two priorities as it regards the songs I write/have written: Incorporate them into our local worship at Victory Christian Center (as appropriate) and connect with other artists/churches who could take these songs beyond where I feel to go.
Collaborating With Malachi Jaggers
I met Malachi Jaggers a couple of years ago through our mutual friend Scott Greeson. I was just visiting Scott’s studio to meet Malachi and ended up recorded some background vocals with him for his album “Rumble In My Soul“. It’s taken us until 2010 to really get to know each other, but I’ve grown to love Malachi’s heart for the Lord and have enjoyed beginning to co-write with him on an almost weekly basis since the new year began. Malachi is a worship leader in Idaville and is working on a worship album for the Spring. His album will include a mixture of his own songs, songs we’ve co-written this month, and a few I’ve written over the past couple of years.
Spiritual Emphasis Week
It was an absolute honor to have been invited to lead a week long series of special morning chapels at Lafayette Christian School. I have 2 boys enrolled at this great school. Each day, approx 250 children attended these 50 minute chapels. Our theme was “Built Together” and we used a “building construction” analogy to discuss the different aspects of our spiritual life. Foundation…Cornerstone…Walls…Windows…Roof. I may blog about each of these in short over the next couple of weeks.
Recent Reading
Besides countless books that enhance my spiritual growth, I’ve recently bought a copy of Robin Frederick’s Shortcuts To Hit Songwriting. Now admittedly, I am not crazily obsessed with and motivated by radio airplay, but I am happy to have found a fun book full of 126 “shortcuts” to write memorable songs that help hold people’s interest. As I read the book, I am becoming painfully aware of songwriting habits, ruts, etc that have kept me from feeling excited about some of the recent songs I’ve finished. Highly recommend this one (published by Taxi Music Books).
VCC Worship Team
My wife and I lead our church’s worship team. This month we’ve begun to restructure the way we run rehearsals. For this season, we are meeting weekly and placing a greater emphasis on “team development” and “practicing His presence”, as well as learning the music. We had the whole team over to our house on Thursday night for a gathering and time to share together. It is a bit of a paradox: to tighten the group connection, at the same time purposing to grow the team in numbers and “make it about someone else”. I am reminded again what a great team God has put together.
Oh Yeah… The House
I actually found some time to refinish this piece of furniture that now sits in our front hallway. Ali has been asking me for something that can hold and hide all of the boy’s backpacks, coats and shoes. Thanks to John and Elizabeth for rescuing this little beauty from the side the road this past fall.
What have YOU been up to this month?
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THE BEST AND WORST OF TIMES
It was the best and worst of times…
On Monday, November 9, my wife and I unexpectedly discovered that our unborn fourth child had transitioned to heaven. It was just weeks ago I posted the ultrasound video of a very healthy baby boy. I wrote about our journey to accept the reality that our #4 was not going to be the little girl we had hoped and prayed for. I had no idea what we were about to walk through.
I can’t begin to cover all the ensuing details surrounding an unexpected obstetrician appointment, a hospital visit and delivery, a graveside service and then all the “firsts” we would encounter as we grieved and began to heal. But, I can tell you this:
God has been so faithful to us.
In the midst of the most devastating experience of our lives, we have experienced an outpouring of God’s goodness that rivals the brightest highlights of our life. The calls, texts, emails, facebook posts, twitter posts, prayers, our pastors, family, friends, hugs, gifts, flowers, visits, food… they all ministered to us in profound ways that I am not yet even able to articulate. Truly, it has been “the best and worst of times”.
This picture encapsulates what I mean when I say “best and worst of times”. After the graveside service concluded, Ali and I and our three boys remained for a moment to care for each other. I had picked this particular grave plot because of the little hillside leading up to it. After we’d had our family moment (the boys each placed a rose on the casket), they asked, “can we run down hill now?” It was just the thing to break the tension. Ali said she envisioned our little one running and playing in heaven. If I were to title this picture, I would name it: ‘and life goes on’.
Hours after we learned the painful news of our baby’s passing, my wife Alison suggested we name our baby, Jude Elliot Kent. Jude means “praise”. Elliot means “God on High”. I believe we were able to recognize God’s goodness amidst the storm because “praising God on High” protected our hearts becoming hardened to God and to the situation at hand.
I am able to report that we are doing well; grieving in the protection of God’s grace and celebrating a little boy who went straight from the warmth and protection of the womb to the indescribable reality of God’s unbridled presence. We will see Jude again in heaven, and I hope you are there too. Today is the day to allow Jesus to live in your heart and become the focus of your life. He is the only One who can carry us through situations like these.
Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. (Psalm 55:2)
We love you, Jude.
INTRODUCING BABY KENT #4
Because in the Kent family, you are “not just a number“… (see below for ultrasound video!) (more…)