He is With Us...One Year Later

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9

So this blog is a little different.  Recently a new group called The Love & the Outcome came out with a song called “He is With Us.”  I absolutely love this song!  I’m pretty sure it will be one of my song anthems :)  Anyway…I have put the lyrics as part of this blog and have put some personal reflections about this day one year ago in between.  At the end of the blog will be a link to the YouTube video of the song.  Please listen to it and pray that these words will touch the hearts of the Lynam and Winstead families today.  Be blessed. 

 

Remember when your hope is lost and faith is shaken
Remember when you wonder if you're gonna make it
There's a hand stretched out through your deepest doubt
We can't pretend to see the ending or what's coming up ahead
To know the story of tomorrow
But we can stay close to the One who knows

One year ago.  I remember.  Two friends of mine lost their sons on this day one year ago.  Two boys full of life, love, and spunk.  Two boys who were pretty close buds.  Two friends who were celebrating a birthday and a fun holiday.  Lives cut short in the blink of an eye.  I’ll never forget the phone call I got from another mutual friend who told me what all had happened – I didn’t believe it, in fact, I had her repeat it twice just in case I wasn’t hearing it right.  It was a surreal phone call, one I hope I never hear again.  That pales in comparison, however, to the reality of what my friends went through one year ago day.  Over the that next week and throughout this past year, I have watched as my friends and their families grieved the loss of these boys.  One year ago it was hard.  One year ago we did wonder if we would make it. 

We can trust our God
He knows what He's doing
Though it might hurt now
We won't be ruined
It might seem there's an ocean in between
But He's holding on to you and me
And He's never gonna leave, no
He is with us, He is with us
Always, always
He is with us, He is with us
Always

I have never seen people live out the chorus of this song than the families of these boys.  To have your boys taken from you in such a tragic way and to come out from it stronger in your faith and love – that takes courage and so much trust in God.  It has been so inspiring over the past year to see these families grow in their faith in Jesus.  They are true testaments to placing your trust fully and solely in God and letting Him guide your life.  Yes, there have been days that were harder than others, but the families made it through them.  I’ll never forget hearing Joshua 1:9 prayed over these families before the boys’ funeral began.  It says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  These families have taken this verse to heart.  They have exuded strength and courageousness this past year, even in the midst of so much loss and God has been/continues to be with them every single step of the way.

We believe there is purpose, there is meaning in everything
We surrender to His leading
He wants nothing more than to have us close

 I miss Nate and Noah.  When I’m teaching missions in AWANA, I half expect them to be sitting in the back of the room, one of them listening intently and the other one cutting up :)  Noah’s mom and I have a desk next to each other at work and so I would often see him there.  In fact the last time I saw him was at work making a paper clip chain (of which I now keep on the wall next to my desk).  I have such sweet memories of the boys and I’m so thankful for that.  One of the verses of this song says “We believe there is purpose, there is meaning in everything.”  How in the world can there be purpose and meaning in the loss of these boys?  I can’t answer that – only God can, but I’ve seen kids come to know Jesus through this situation.  I’ve seen people recommit their lives to Him because of this.  Many around the world watched their funeral and heard the Truth.  I’ve also seen individuals be inspired to “Live Like That” and they have.  Nate and Noah have inspired so many…they have truly left a legacy that will never be forgotten!

Our faith is sealed
Our hope is real
Come what may
We're not afraid
Our faith is sealed
Our hope is real
Come what may
We're not afraid
We're not afraid

I think for many of us, our faith and hope has grown as a result of what happened.  What Satan intended for hurt and anger, God intended for us to grow in our hope and trust in Him.  I wish beyond wish that it didn’t have to be through this situation, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned through this it’s that God is God and I am not.  I pray for many of you that your faith is sealed.  That’s definitely what Nate & Noah would have wanted for you…to know that Jesus loves you, died for you, and wants you to have His gift of everlasting life.  Following Jesus is really as easy as “ABC.”  A- Admit to God that you are a sinner.  B- Believe that Jesus is your Savior and that He died for your sins.  C- Confess to others that Jesus is the Lord of your life.  Live Like That!  Give Jesus all your life!  Surrender it all to HIM!  Even though they were little boys, Nate and Noah made this extremely important decision to believe in and accept Christ and because of that, we as believers will get to rejoice with them and Jesus in heaven when God calls us there.

We can trust our God
Always, always
We can trust our God
Always, always

I am so proud of you Lynam and Winstead families.  Your lives, through this loss, have shown such strength and trust in God.  I pray these lyrics will be the lyrics of your entire lives and I know they are – “We can trust our God – Always.”  I’m so blessed to have known your boys.  I’m so thankful to know you guys.  Each day you are covered in prayer by so many.  Each day the boys are always remembered.  Each day, because of them, people are inspired to live their lives to the fullest, trust God, and never give up.

We can trust our God
He knows what He's doing
Though it might hurt now
We won't be ruined
It might seem there's an ocean in between
But He's holding on to you and me
And He's never gonna leave, no
He is with us, He is with us
Always, always
He is with us, He is with us
Always, always
He is with us, He is with us
Always, always
He is with us, He is with us
Always
Our God is with us

God was with us one year ago today, He is with us today, and He will be with us each day from here on out.  We can trust Him, ALWAYS.  Listen to this song below and pray these words for the families today.  Remembering, Praying, and Trusting…

An Unforgettable VBS

“When I am afraid, I will trust in You.” – Psalm 56:3

Words can’t describe how much I love Vacation Bible School.  Whether it be at my local church…at the Pregnancy Crisis Center Backyard Bible Club…or in my heart city of Hong Kong, each VBS I am/have been a part of brings such joy, excitement, and so much fun to my heart.

Last year when I found out the theme of this year’s Lifeway VBS, I thought the Biblical truth that the kids would be learning was brilliant.  “Facing Fear!  Trusting God!”  I can’t think of a better truth for children to learn at an early age than the truth of trusting God no matter the circumstance.  I wish I could travel to Hong Kong this summer and teach the Chinese kids this same truth…they so greatly need to hear it too!!!  Verses like Isaiah 41:10 “Do not fear for I am with you” or Psalm 56:3 “when I am afraid, I will trust in you”…what terrific truths that our kids can carry with them through their childhood years, into their teen years and beyond!  Most definitely for our church kids here at FBC Morristown, learning this truth after the events of last year was extra-specially important.  No matter what happens in our lives, we can ALWAYS trust that God is and will be with us.  I must tell you, hearing the kids sing the songs and recite the verses from this year’s VBS was especially uplifting.  These kids can now carry the truths in the tunes and remember them for years to come!

FBC Morristown's AWESOME VBS 2013 kids!!!

When I began planning for VBS, I kind of thought that this year’s theme would be more of a reinforcement theme for me.  Yes, I know that I can trust God in any circumstance.  Yes, I know that God will never leave or forsake me...I’ve even written a bunch of blogs about this theme.  When we finally got to VBS week, however, the truths I had been learning about through my planning would never be more prevalent than they were that particular week.  You see, VBS week was the week my grandfather began going significantly downhill, health-wise.  I must admit, it was hard to put on a brave face every day and teach the kids about truths that I was having to strongly depend on myself.   In fact, one night I was getting something ready in the VBS worship rally room (sanctuary) and I just burst into tears over everything.  I knew God was with me, I knew he was taking care of me, but I was sad…so sad…that my grandfather was suffering.

Then Friday night at the Family Concert, the 300+ VBS kids sang the Day 5 song for their families and the words they sang couldn’t have been more poignant.  My eyes filled with tears as the kids sang these words:

I’m not afraid, afraid to let go.

I know you’re holding me.

You are the One I’m leaning on.  You are my hope and my strength.

For every breath I breathe, and the ground beneath my feet, I will trust You. 
I will trust You.

In every circumstance, no matter where I am, I will trust You.

I will trust in You.

I knew as they sang that song that everything would be okay.  I wasn’t afraid to let go of my grandfather.  I knew God was holding not only me, but my grandfather too.  I knew I could lean on God.  I knew I could trust Him with this situation.  Period. 

Literally 24 hours later from the time the kids sung that song, my grandfather passed away and entered into heaven.  Ever since that night, after hearing that song, I’ve had such a peace about everything.  Oh, yes, I miss my grandfather, but I’m at peace with his passing.  I know I will see him again and I can’t wait for that day!

This past week, I taught music at the Pregnancy Crisis Center Vacation Bible School/Backyard Bible Club.  On the last night, I taught the kids the Day 5 song.  I just smiled to myself as we sang through the words - smiling because I fully, wholeheartedly knew these words.  I lived them. 

I pray that all the kids who learned this particular song this year remember it for the rest of their life.  I pray they also remember this year’s verse and theme.  They all have life-changing implications. 

Thank you God for your promise and for allowing me to place my trust in You.  I wouldn't be a sane person without it! :)  Thank you Lifeway for developing a theme this year that so many of us can relate to.  I didn’t think I’d be relating to it like I did, but God knew I would.  You have changed so many kid’s lives through this theme…that I know.  Thank you to my sweet VBS leadership team.  Your encouragement and help during our VBS week brought so much relief and peace to my heart.  Finally, thank you to all the precious kids that sang that night at the Family VBS concert.  Many of you I know, some of you I don’t, but each one of you changed my heart and I will never forget that.  Ever.

Sweet Reminders on a Crazy Day

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. – Deuteronomy 31:6

Today’s been crazy, ain’t gonna lie.  Technology issues, heavy-ish rain, my grandfather being admitted to the hospital (he’s doing okay, by the way), plus a little bit of this and that….the devil’s really been out to seemingly ruin this day.  If you didn’t know, Sundays are my favorite day of the week.  I love going to church, I love being with my church family, I love being able to serve God on this day and so for today (a Sunday) to be crazy is just so not what I expected and wanted it to be.

There’s been a clear message, though, that has rung throughout this day…the message that God is always here and will never leave or forsake me.  I, in fact, sang about it this morning at church and then was sweetly reminded of it tonight at the children’s musical at church. 

Back in February, I found a song that I knew I wanted to sing at church, Meredith Andrews’ Not For a Moment (After All).  It is such a sweet song about how no matter what is going on, God is always with us and promises to never leave or forsake us…not for a single moment.  The message of this song literally pierces right to the heart.  Believe you me, I’ve cried a good number of times when listening to this song.  I am so blessed I got the opportunity to share it with the church family today, but even more blessed to have been blessed by its message too.

Tonight, the sweet kids sang in their spring musical entitled Spend a While on the Nile.  It is a **cute** musical and it was fun to watch the kids, but my favorite part was a message the kids sang about towards the end of the musical.  Singing Matt Redman’s “You Never Let Go,” the kids reminded us that no matter what happens, God will always be there for us and will never let us go.  Through the storms, through the valleys, in all the problems, in the good times and bad…He will never let go.  Hearing this message on your iPod is one thing, but hearing the message out of the mouths of kids....yup, that's like super heart-piercing.

Tears filled my eyes as the kids sang tonight because I realized at that moment how beautifully the two experiences from today tie together.  God will never let us go, He will never leave us or forsake you…Not. For. A. Moment.  Why?   Because He is constant.  He is good.  He is sovereign.  We don’t have to fear evil, for God is with us.  And if our God is for us, who can be against us?  How big are our problems or frustrations when we know that God is in control?  Not big at all, come to think of it.

So devil, you were defeated today.  Take the aggravation you tried to place on this day and hit the road.  I’m choosing not to look back on this day as one that was disappointing and didn’t go the way I wanted it to, I choose to look back on this day as one in which God reminded me of His promise that He’s got everything under control and will work all things out for my good (Romans 8:28).

I'm posting the two songs that blessed me today, may they be a blessing and sweet reminder to you too that God will never let you go...not for a moment.

Not For a Moment (After All) by Meredith Andrews

You Never Let Go by Matt Redman