We're authors and musicians who loves to talk about faith & spirituality, arts & crafts, and music. Subscribe and join over 2,000+ newsletter readers every week!
A Better Country
|
A Better Country by Phil Independence Day can be a difficult time for church worship leaders. On one hand, we should be grateful to God for His blessings and the freedom we cherish. Yet, often times our patriotic fervor exhibited in the music and celebration of July 4th can approach the level of worshipping our country instead of the God in whom we say we "trust." The temptation is to either completely ignore any sort of patriotic music or go full steam ahead and try to squeeze God into our celebration. This is one area where I like to take the middle ground. Perhaps this delicate balance was on the mind of Katherine Lee Bates when she wrote the poem that would become America, The Beautiful. We are all familiar with the first verse which looks around at the natural beauty of our landscape… O beautiful for spacious skies, The second verse celebrates the pioneer spirit of our ancestors who braved the wilderness of a foreign and untamed land is search of freedom the couldn’t find in their home countries… O beautiful for pilgrim feet In verse three, Katherine looks back to the soldiers who gave and continue to give their lives to maintain that precious freedom… O beautiful for heroes proved Then, in verse four, she looks forward, beyond the greatness of America, to our final and ultimate home... O beautiful for patriot dream All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. - Hebrews 11:13-16 This week as we celebrate our country's Independence Day, let it be a reminder that there is a country, a better country, that God has prepared especially for His children. If you think America is beautiful (and it is!), you ain't seen nothing yet! When we all get to heaven, Oh, yeah!
Click Here to Check our Concert Schedule! Check us out on Facebook! - http://www.facebook.com/PhilandPamMorgan |
Phil & Pam Morgan
We're authors and musicians who loves to talk about faith & spirituality, arts & crafts, and music. Subscribe and join over 2,000+ newsletter readers every week!
Better Dirt by Phil You may be familiar with the story of Naaman the leper, but there is an interesting tidbit in the middle you may have overlooked. We learn in 2 Kings 5 that Naaman was the commander of King Aram’s army and was highly respected by one and all. We also discover that this victorious soldier was afflicted with leprosy. Upon hearing of a possible cure in Samaria, King Aram loaded Naaman up with money and fine clothes to pay for his medical treatment. Elisha the prophet...
True Worship by Phil Leading worship at a local church has been a really fun new challenge for me. In our ministry, even though each concert is unique, there are a set number of songs and stories we choose from. As a worship leader, I now also get to do new songs each week! And since my eyesight is not improving with age, I memorize the music. (I have the lyrics in extra large letters on the back screen so I can read those. Now, if the lyric flipper gets distracted and forgets to click the...
Father - The man, the legend, the goof... by Phil My dad passed away when I was 25, so my memories of him were mostly when I was kid. He was a hard worker and could fix anything (I did not inherit that trait). I remember him telling jokes, but I don't think men of that generation felt free to be goofy. I, on the other hand, had no such inhibition. I remember when the kids were little, each time we got gas I would dance around the car while the tank filled. The kids would look out and laugh,...